


From Eden Prime to Earth

by Jeshen (Jezzibelle), Jezzibelle



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Biotic Shepard (Mass Effect), Colonist (Mass Effect), F/M, Mass Effect 1, Pre-Relationship, Vanguard (Mass Effect), War Hero (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26834182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jezzibelle/pseuds/Jeshen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jezzibelle/pseuds/Jezzibelle
Summary: My own Shenko fic.I wanted to flesh out the relationship a bit.My female Shepard is a colonist/war hero vangardRedhair, green-eyes, very pale and knows she's hot.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Welcome aboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-Normandy intel gathering.

Shepard was sitting in the mako in the cargo bay, the first day on her new posting. Well, technically it wasn’t her first day until tomorrow, but Anderson knew she liked to sneak aboard early to get a feel for what the crew was really like. She found that too many officers acted differently around her. I suppose that’s what being a so-called ‘war hero’ does, she thought to herself bitterly.  
The Normandy was docked at Arcturus station, the crew finally on board and told to prepare their stations after some minor drama. Captain Anderson called the crew down to the cargo bay for their first briefing. Anderson introduced the senior officers, head of marine detail, and chief medical officer. Finally, he briefly glanced toward the Mako with the tiniest smirk visible and announced that Commander Shepard, the executive officer would report for duty at 0600 tomorrow.   
From her hiding place, Shepard noticed a junior officer turn to the person beside him and start excitedly whispering. Shepard rolled her eyes and hoped that he wouldn’t be so enthused for the whole mission. Anderson gave the crew a moment to react, then snapped “contain your excitement please. Corporal Jenkins, that means you.”. Jenkins went pale and snapped to attention, “Aye Sir, sorry Sir”. Anderson continued “I picked this crew myself. I expect nothing but the best from each and every one of you. Now report to your stations. Dismissed”.

The crew briefing had been vaguely interesting, but she was mostly interested in the Marine detail orientation which would start in an hour. She pulled out her datapad while she waited, reviewing the crew roster yet again. She focused mostly on the marine officers, and she was more that slightly concerned that these marines were so young. Shepard found that the younger officers were more likely to fall into the ‘hero worship’ trap, which made it damn hard for them to work as a squad. Shepard was presently surprised though, that the head of marine detail was a fellow biotic. She had only worked very briefly with other human biotics, and none her own age. Realising this, she frowned and checked his medical reports.  
Staff Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, born 2152, human biotic – L2 implant. Minor complications.  
Shepard frowned further. Damn, an L2? She had definitely never worked with an L2 before. She knew the L2’s were often.. problematic. Shepard thought back to her own implantation bitterly. She had been implanted much later in life than most human biotics do now, and only narrowly avoided getting an L2 herself.

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by the elevator opening. The marines were starting to gather. Shepard recognised Jenkins from earlier talking to another serviceman, they both looked even more excited than they had earlier. Jenkins loudly exclaimed, “I’m telling you, Lowe, it felt amazing. It was like my whole body was buzzing!”. The other marine, Lowe replied, “I dunno Jenkins, I still think it’s unnatural.”. Shepard frowned, what were they talking about? Drugs? It soon became clear as Jenkins replied, “I guess.. But have you seen the vids of Shepard in action? Man, now we get to work with two of them!”. A third person shook his head and said, “It might be cool in the vids, but biotics still give me the creeps. Don’t they like, read minds or something?”. Shepard rolled her eyes and sighed from her hiding place. She thought to herself, “Well, even if he is a little excitable, at least Jenkins is happy to work with biotics.”.

The marines continued chatting among themselves until the elevator sprung to life once more and the head of marine detail, Lt. Alenko stepped out. The marines stood in formation and saluted, as protocol dictates. Lt. Alenko returned the salute and called “At ease, marines.”. Shepard couldn’t help but feel a little relieved as she heard his voice. He sounded calm, controlled, but still gentle. She hoped that this meant his L2 was relatively stable. Alenko assigned each officer their station and went through the duty roster for their shakedown. Eventually, he got to Jenkins and asked: “Are you sure you’re ok Corporal?”. Jenkins eagerly replied “Yeah. The doc gave me a full scan. But like I said, it was awesome!”. Shepard frowned, confused. What on Earth could have happened that required a doctor already?. Lt. Alenko just shook his head and gave a small chuckle before moving on. Shepard found herself smiling as she listened to his laugh. She shook her head, forcing herself not to think about his voice as ‘attractive’. She was a professional after all, and it was time for the main event – the q&a.

Alenko moved back to the front of the cargo bay. “Ok Marines, do you have any questions before you’re dismissed?”.  
Jenkins' hand shot up immediately. “Uh, Sir. What will happen when Commander Shepard gets here?”  
Alenko raised an eyebrow “And what do you mean by that exactly, Jenkins?”.  
“I mean, she’s a legend, right? Is there some kind of protocol, sir?”  
Alenko rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Yes, Jenkins. You know the protocol for welcoming officers aboard. Just treat her like any other soldier.”  
Another Marine that Shepard didn’t recognise chimed in. “Most soldiers don’t look like _that_ though. Sir.”. The other marines laughed at that remark, and Shepard couldn’t help but join in. The marine who blurted that out had turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment.  
Alenko’s demeanour shifted, becoming much more serious. “I will remind you all, you are professionals and the regulations apply regardless of how attractive our commander may be.”. He relaxed and smirked slightly before adding, “besides, we all know that the recruitment posters aren’t always realistic.”.  
Shepard narrowed her eyes and smirked to herself as she thought “Ouch, is he implying that I’m not ‘attractive’ in real life?”  
Alenko asked if there were any further questions before dismissing the officers. She admired the way he shifted between authoritative and at ease when necessary. She had a feeling he would be a great head of marine detail.

Shepard heard Captain Anderson arrive and announce, “I’ll have the cargo bay.”, then shortly after, “All clear Shepard.”. She emerged from her hiding place inside the mako and finally stretched. “Well Commander, what’s the verdict?” Anderson asked.  
Shepard pondered for a moment before replying. “Well it’s a beautiful ship, and the crew seems ok. I do have some concerns.”  
Anderson sighed and chuckled, “Of course you do. Let’s hear it Shepard.”.  
Shepard crossed her arms as she began. “Well, a few of the Marines seemed to be uncomfortable about working with biotics.. and apparently there are two of us.”  
Anderson shook his head slightly. “They just don’t know any better Shepard. Human biotics are still rare enough that they probably haven’t met any yet. They’ll come around once they get to know you. As for Lieutenant Alenko, he’s a fine soldier. I assumed you would be excited to work with another biotic, is there a problem I’m not aware of?”  
Shepard shook her head and smiled a little. “He does seem very.. capable. I’m just not used to having another biotic around. And what about the L2?”.  
Anderson shifted. “You know I don’t really understand how that works. By all reports he’s stable, but you’d have to speak with Dr. Chakwas if you want more details.”  
Shepard nodded. “Well thanks for indulging me Anderson. I’m looking forward to seeing this bird in action.”  
Anderson chuckled. “Me too, Shepard. But there’s one more surprise.. We’ll have a spectre on board for our shakedown.”  
Shepard looked at him, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. “A spectre, sir?”  
Anderson nodded. “Yes. A turian by the name of Nihlus. This ship was co-designed by the turians, and he’ll be here to represent their interests.”  
Shepards eyes remained suspicious, but she simply said: “Noted, sir.”. She knew that Anderson would tell her the real reason in time.

* * *

***

* * *

Shepard was already waiting at the dock when the spectre Nihlus arrived. “Commander Shepard I presume?” he asked, holding out a hand as if to shake it. Shepard quickly assessed his body language, trying to determine how to proceed. He appeared relaxed and friendly, so she decided to attempt the handshake. It was odd shaking hands with a turian, and she wasn’t entirely sure how it worked with their talons. Yet she smiled and politely stated, “Nice to meet you. I wasn’t aware turians shook hands.”. Nihlus let out a strange laugh. “Turians usually do not shake hands Commander. I have been studying human customs for this mission.”. Shepard continued smiling, but her suspicion about the nature of the mission was increasing. Thankfully the awkwardness was broken as the airlock opened and Captain Anderson appeared.  
Shepard saluted the captain. “Permission to come aboard, Sir?”.  
Anderson returned the salute and replied, “Permission granted Commander.”.  
Shepard picked up her duffle bag and proceeded into the ship, hearing Nihlus make the same request as she walked away.  
Shepard was formally greeted by Lt. Alenko as she entered the ship. He snapped a salute and welcomed her aboard. Shepard smirked a little, recalling the comments he had made during the marine briefing. Now that she could see him properly, she had to admit he was fairly good looking himself.  
“Thank-you for the welcome lieutenant. Shall I assume you’ll be taking me to my quarters?” She said, straight-faced but with amusement in her eyes.  
Alenko stuttered slightly as he said “Uh. Yes ma’am. Right this way.”.  
Shepard followed him down to the crew deck where he showed her the assigned personnel lockers and the crew quarters. As the Normandy was such a small ship, most of the crew only had sleeper pods, but as XO she was assigned a bunk in a shared room. As Shepard began to stow her belongings in her locker, she half-turned to look at Alenko, intending to make small talk. She sighed to herself as she realised he was still standing at attention. “At ease Lieutenant.”. He saluted and relaxed very slightly. Shepard sighed and laughed slightly, “you’re not going to salute every time I pass you in the hall, are you, lieutenant?”. Alenko made eye contact and answered, “That is standard protocol for greeting an XO, commander.” rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.  
Shepard sighed again, smiling slightly. “Lieutenant, you and I are going to be working together very closely. We need to be a team. If you’re always so formal, it might just drive me crazy.”.  
Alenko smiled a little, and replied with a soft chuckle, “Aye aye ma’am”.  
Shepard rolled her eyes and chuckled a little in response as she continued to unpack. “Well thanks, lieutenant, I think I can handle it from here.”  
Alenko saluted again before turning to leave. He smiled to himself as he heard Shepard chuckle again as he walked away.


	2. Eden Prime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm skipping over a lot of the game content because I don't feel rehashing every scene would be very interesting. But I added in a few non-game scenes and tweaked the dialogue a little.

Their first mission and things were already going wrong. _Story of my life_ Shepard thought to herself.   
They were minutes away from landing on Eden Prime, having just been informed of the real purpose of the mission.   
She turned to Jenkins, who seemed as excited as ever, despite his home being under attack.   
“Corporal, this mission may be harder than you expect. Seeing your home under siege can be.. difficult.” She said carefully.   
Shepard didn’t fully understand why Anderson had assigned Jenkins to the ground team. She knew that Jenkins knowledge of the planet would be useful, but she was worried he wouldn’t be able to cope. Shepard trusted Anderson completely, but she still had a bad feeling about this mission.   
She looked between Alenko and Jenkins and reminded them “This is a high-priority mission, we don’t know precisely what we’ll face down there. Stay alert.”

Within minutes of having boots on the ground, her worst suspicions were proven correct. She signalled for the team to halt position, but Jenkins continued on – distracted by the horrors of his home in flames. Before she could even blink, Jenkins had been shot more than a dozen times. She swore and threw a warp field at the drone that had downed Jenkins, instructing Alenko to hit the other. Both drones went down easily, which made the tragedy all the worse.  
Shepard tapped at her omnitool, before calling “My radar is all clear, Alenko – What have you got?”.  
“Negative contacts Commander.”, he replied gently.  
She looked towards where Jenkins lie, softly sighing before asking: “Can you check on Jenkins? I’ll cover you.”.  
He noticed a hint of sadness in her voice – they both knew Jenkins wasn’t coming back.  
Alenko kneeled beside Jenkins, doing a quick scan to check his life signs. Alenko sighed sadly as he closed Jenkins eyes for the last time.   
He looked up at Shepard, shaking his head sadly as told her “They ripped right through his shields. He never stood a chance.”.  
He saw Shepard nod sadly before her demeanour shifted. She was all business now.

* * *

The rest of the mission was a blur. He’d never been part of a mission that had gone so FUBAR before. Jenkins was killed, there were dead colonists everywhere, and they had just learnt that the spectre Nihlus had been killed by some other Turian? None of this made any sense. He looked over at Gunnery Chief Williams, the soldier they had met ground side and wondered what would happen to her. His thoughts were interrupted by Williams reporting over the comms.

“Hey, check that door over there. It’s closed, security locks engaged.”.  
Shepard checked the door. “Alenko, can you override it?”.  
“Aye aye, ma’am” Alenko replied as he pulled out his omnitool.

He heard a slight whimper as the lock disengaged and the door slid open. The relief on his face was clear as he turned and called “Commander! We have survivors.”.

The scientists inside were visibly shaken as they described their ordeal. Alenko was still wary and kept his guard up. Particularly as the assistant, Manuel was acting especially odd and randomly began sprouting out proclamations of doom.   
Shepard must have had the same concern as she asked the women “What’s wrong with your assistant?”.  
The scientist explained. “Manuel has always been a bit.. Unstable. I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack, but he’s still very shaken.”.  
Shepard nodded slowly and said, “I might be able to help with that.”.   
Suddenly, her biotics flashed and a blue corona enclosed Manuel.  
Chief Williams let out a shocked gasp and the scientist screamed: “What are you doing?”.

Shepard gave the scientist a steady look and raised an eyebrow before replying.  
“I’m using a mass effect field to apply deep pressure. Trust me, it’s perfectly safe.”.   
She maintained the field for less than 30 seconds before letting it fade out. The scientist continued to fuss, asking Manuel if he was alright. Manuel simply nodded and went to sit on his bunk.

Shepard turned to her crew and softly said: “Alright, let's move out.”.  
As Shepard walked ahead, Williams turned to Alenko and whispered, “I thought that whole ‘biotic mind-control’ thing was just a myth.”.  
Alenko tried to hide his amusement as he replied, “It is, Chief”.  
They both heard Shepard chuckle over the comms.

* * *

They took the cargo train out to the docks and quickly found the beacon.

Alenko’s eyes widened in awe as he took in the green glowing sight.   
“This is amazing! Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable”.  
Williams was much more cautious.  
“It wasn’t doing anything like that when they dug it up.”.

Alenko continued to observe the strange sight in front of him, while Shepard and Williams discussed what would happen to Williams now that her unit was gone.  
Alenko began to feel a pull toward the beacon, reminiscent of a biotic field. He resisted, trying to pull himself out of the way. He felt an intense pressure in the back of his skull and was sure his head would explode. He felt something wrap around his waist before he was slammed to the ground. It took him a few seconds to register what had happened. Shepard had been pulled into the beacon’s field. Alenko called out to Shepard, but Williams stopped him from trying to pull her free. The beacon exploded like a biotic nova, and Shepard was slammed to the ground unconscious. Alenko rushed to her side, checking her life signs on his omnitool.

He sighed with relief, telling Williams “She’s unconscious, but I don’t see any injuries. Chief, I need you to keep an eye on her while I update the Normandy.”.  
“Aye aye, sir.”

He winced as he called up the Normandy on comms. His head was still throbbing, and he would probably have a full-blown migraine for days after this.

“Normandy, this is Staff Lieutenant Alenko. Do you read me?”.   
He held his breath as he waited for the reply.  
“This is Normandy, we read you Alenko.”, Joker responded before adding, “Uh, where’s the Commander?”.  
Alenko sighed as he explained, “Commander Shepard has been injured, we need a pick up ASAP.”  
It was Captain Anderson who spoke next.   
“And the beacon, Lieutenant?”  
Alenko hesitated before replying, “It, uh.. sort of exploded, sir.”  
“Acknowledged. We’ll have the med bay ready. ETA 2 minutes. Normandy out”.

Alenko knew he’d face all kinds of trouble for this one. Not to mention that he may have just killed the legendary Commander Shepard. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed deeply before turning back to Chief Williams.   
“The Normandy will be here any minute for pickup, are you good to go Chief?”, he asked gently.  
She looked up at him and replied, “Yes, sir. It doesn’t look like the Commander will be up by then though.”  
He nodded slowly and replied, “I’ll have to carry her.”  
Williams gave him a sceptical look and said “Uh, no offence, Sir... But you don’t exactly look up to it right now.”  
Williams had a point. His head was still splitting, and he was feeling pretty shaky.

Finally, his comm line beeped to life, and Joker told him the Normandy was inbound for landing on the other side of the platform.  
“Alright Chief, help me carry her then?”  
Alenko used his biotics to reduce the mass of Shepard’s motionless form as Williams hoisted her into a fireman carry and they made their way back to the ship.

Anderson was waiting for them at the airlock, along with a couple of servicemen and a stretcher. Williams lowered the Commander on to the stretcher and snapped a salute to the Captain.   
Captain Anderson waved a hand dismissively, saying “At ease. Welcome aboard Gunnery Chief. Both of you are to report to the comm room so you can tell me what the hell happened down here.”.   
Both Alenko and Williams snapped a salute and replied, “Aye aye, Sir.”.

* * *

Anderson asked to debrief them separately. Alenko was called in first. The debrief was less painful than he had expected. Captain Anderson had listened quietly as Alenko recounted the details of the mission. Anderson nodded slightly as Alenko described the effects of the beacon, “Were you injured, Lieutenant?”, Anderson asked quietly.

Alenko rubbed the back of his neck and replied, “Not injured exactly, Sir. I have been getting a migraine though.”  
"Well, I’m sorry to have kept you Lieutenant. But before I dismiss you, what is your impression of Gunnery Chief Williams?”  
Alenko rubbed his brow, thinking carefully before answering.   
“Honestly, Sir? Things would have gone a lot worse for us down there without Chief Williams. She seems like a very capable soldier, even after seeing her whole unit get taken out.”  
Anderson stood and said “Thank-you lieutenant. You’re dismissed. I recommend you report to medbay”.  
Alenko stood and saluted. “Thank-you Captain.”  
He passed Chief Williams on his way out and gave her a small smile as he drifted down to medbay.

* * *

Doctor Chakwas was still hovering over Shepard when he entered the medbay. Alenko felt a fresh pang of guilt as he saw the still-unconscious Commander on a gurney. It had been nearly an hour since the beacon knocked her out. He knew that this wasn’t a good sign.

Doctor Chakwas turned as he entered.   
“Oh, Lieutenant Alenko. A migraine is it? You didn’t get affected by the beacon, did you?”, she asked gently.  
He looked down and explained, “The beacon started to pull me in, but she pulled me out of the way.”.  
“I’ll can give you the usual meds, but I’d like to do a couple of scans first.” she said, gesturing towards one of the empty beds.

Alenko laid down on the bed and glanced over again at Shepard. Chakwas noticed the look on his face and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.   
“Relax Alenko, her scans are all clear. I’m sure she’ll be ok.”.   
She continued with the scans and noted; “Your scans look clear too. I’ll get you those medications, but I wouldn’t mind keeping you around for observation.”.  
Alenko just nodded and closed his eyes as the medication helped him drift off to sleep.

* * *

When he woke the pain had subsided slightly. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. The pain was better, but he felt sick with guilt all over again when he saw Shepard still unconscious in the next bed. Dr Chakwas moved over to him and offered him a biotic ration pack and a cup of water.   
“Feeling better Alenko?”, she asked softly.  
He nodded and asked, “What time is it?”.   
“Just gone 1800”.  
Shit. It had already been over seven hours.

He looked up at Dr Chakwas and asked desperately “And still no change?” with a glance over at Shepard.  
Chakwas sighed, “Not yet. There are signs of brain activity though. Abnormal beta waves, actually. I’m confident she’ll wake up. It’s just a matter of time.”  
Alenko rubbed the back of his neck.   
“Do you mind if I stay doctor? This is all my fault. I feel terrible.”  
Chakwas smiled gently. “I’m sure that’s not true lieutenant, but you can stay – as long as you make yourself useful. My shift is nearly over, you can page me if there are any changes?”. Doctor Chakwas considered him for a moment and added, “And don’t forget to take care of yourself Lieutenant, get a proper meal.”   
Alenko gave her a sad smile in return and said, “Sure thing Doc.”.

* * *

Alenko tried to busy himself with inventory work, but the guilt continued to eat away at him. He rubbed the back of his neck as he reflected on the mission. He had one mission with the legendary Commander Shepard, and he had messed it up. Big time.

Alenko had to admit that he had been impressed by her. Everyone in the alliance had heard of Commander Shepard, the hero of the Skyllian blitz. He had expected her to be arrogant. Beautiful women usually were, in his experience. And Shepard was definitely beautiful. Somehow, she was even more beautiful in person than she was in the vids.   
But Shepard was more than just beautiful, she was powerful too.   
He saw the flash of grief in her eyes when Jenkins was killed and saw her strength and resolve as she focused on the mission. He saw her compassion and patience as she dealt with the scared colonists and soothed Manuel. And all of that was before she saved him from the beacon. How could he have been so careless? He felt his headache slowly returning and decided it would be a good time for a break. He asked the medical assistant to keep watch over Shepard, and he headed out to the mess hall.

Alenko quietly prepared his rations, standard beef curry and a hot ‘biotichoc’ drink. It wasn’t until he sat down with his tray that he noticed Chief Williams sitting at the next table. Alenko took his tray and moved in her direction.   
“Hey, Chief. Is this seat taken?” he asked politely.  
Williams smiled politely, and said, “Looks like it is now, LT.”  
Alenko genuinely smiled at her informal response. ‘ _Shepard would appreciate that’,_ he thought to himself, before he remembered. ‘ _if she ever wakes up’._  
He tried to dismiss those thoughts and focused on his meal.   
“It was pretty rough down there Chief, how are you holding up?”  
She sighed before responding, “I’m ok, all things considered. I still can’t believe my unit is gone. But I’ve been officially reassigned to the Normandy. Pending a full psych evaluation, of course.”  
He gave her a small, sad smile, “Glad to hear it Chief. You deserve it.”.  
She smiled and thanked him before asking, “How’s the Commander doing?”.  
He sadly glanced toward the direction of the medbay.   
“Still no change. Doctor Chakwas thinks it’s just a matter of time”.  
Williams gave him a smile and said, “Well you look much better.”  
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and muttered out a thanks.   
“Well, I should get back to work. See you around Chief.”


	3. The Aftermath of Eden Prime

Her head spun with dark images and feelings of doom, even as she woke. Everything was bright. She blinked slowly and began to recognise the familiar shapes of a standard alliance medbay.   
She could make out a voice calling “Doctor Chakwas. I think she’s waking up.”. Though her ears were still ringing, she recognised the voice as belonging to Lieutenant Alenko.   
She sat up slowly and rubbed her still throbbing head, looking to where he stood tapping away at his omnitool.   
She smiled slightly and uttered, “No salute, Lieutenant? I guess we’re making progress.”.   
The relief on his face was obvious. Damn, she must have been in bad shape.  
Suddenly, the medbay doors whurred open and Doctor Chakwas came into focus.  
"You had us worried there Shepard. How are you feeling?”   
_'Like the morning after shore leave'_ , Shepard thought to herself. But she didn't want to worry them any further, so she answered, “Minor throbbing. Nothing serious. How long was I out?”. The memories of the mission started coming back to her, even though the images of her nightmare were burned into her mind.  
Doctor Chakwas regarded her intently as she answered, “About 15 hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think.”.  
Shepard furrowed her brow as the images and sense of doom that the beacon had ingrained in her mind bubbled to the surface.  
Alenko spoke up suddenly.   
“It’s my fault.”, he said. “I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way.”  
The guilt was written plain on his face. She knew what that kind of guilt felt like.  
She looked at him intently and tried to reassure him.  
“You had no way of knowing what would happen.”.  
He relaxed slightly, though she knew he would still be feeling the guilt. It was never easy seeing one of your squad go down, and they had already lost Jenkins before she got knocked out.  
Chakwas explained that the beacon had been damaged, and Shepard attempted to explain what the beacon had done to her mind.  
They were interrupted as Captain Anderson came to the medbay to check on her and hold a quick debrief.   
Shepard was relieved that Anderson didn't seem to be angry at her about the failure of the mission. However, he did explain that he was worried about the implications. Anderson and Shepard had known each other for years. He had been her mentor and trusted her completely. Convincing the council was another matter entirely.  
She was still feeling weak when the Captain dismissed her. Her biotics meant that she needed more calories than the average human, and she definitely needed some energy after being unconscious for 15 hours.

* * *

Alenko was waiting in the mess, still racked with guilt. Shepard still looked a little paler than usual, and he knew that she would need energy after being unconscious for most of the day. He called out to her as soon as she entered.   
“Commander, I’m glad you’re up. I hope you don’t mind... I took the liberty of preparing you a biotichoc.”  
She looked at him and smiled.  
“Thanks, Lieutenant. Though I can get my own drinks.”, she said with amusement.  
He smiled slightly and rubbed his neck awkwardly.   
“Of course you can, ma’am. But, I just figured.. It’s the least I could do.”.  
She nodded slowly with understanding as she sat. He was obviously still feeling guilty.   
“Will you join me?”, she asked, gesturing to the empty chair across from her.  
He nodded as he sat. “I’m glad to see you’re ok. Losing Jenkins was hard on the crew, and... I’m glad we didn’t lose you too.”  
They sat and talked about the mission for a few minutes until Chief Williams entered the mess. Shepard looked over as Williams poured herself a coffee. Shepard called out to her, “Chief Williams, care to join us?”.  
Williams turned and smiled brightly.   
“I’d love to, ma’am. Want a refill while I’m up?”.  
Shepard and Alenko shared an amused look, and he shook his head “I’ll get it.”, he offered, collecting the empty mug and going to the prep station.  
Williams sat down, saying with a laugh “What, is my coffee not good enough for you, Commander?”.  
Shepard returned the laugh and answered, “I wish Chief.”  
Alenko smiled as he answered.  
“It's a biotic supplement Chief. A high calorie, nutrient-rich attempt at hot chocolate.”.  
Shepard added, “Tastes like crap, but it’s still better than field rations.”  
Williams hadn’t really worked with biotics before, and she didn’t know all that much about them.  
Alenko passed Shepard her mug and sat back down.  
Williams sipped at her coffee thoughtfully before saying, “I’m glad you’re ok Commander. The crew could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins.”.  
Shepard kept her hands wrapped around her mug for warmth as she replied, “Jenkins was a valuable part of this crew. He’ll be missed.”  
Williams kept her eyes down on her coffee.   
“Part of me feels guilty over what happened. If Jenkins were still alive, I might not be here.”.  
Shepard reached out and put her hand on William’s arm.   
“You’re a good soldier Williams, we are lucky to have you.”  
Williams looked up at her. “Thanks, Commander. That means a lot coming from you. I’ve never met anyone who was awarded the Star of Terra.”  
Shepard gave her a small smile, “There’s nothing special about me Williams, anyone would have done the same.”.  
Williams chuckled, “Held off an entire enemy platoon? Alone? With all due respect, Commander. I think you’ve got somebody watching over you. And, uh.. most of us don’t have biotics.”  
Shepard tried to hide a smile, while Alenko looked somewhat uncomfortable.  
Williams decided to change the topic.   
“So, uh.. LT, you a career man?”.  
Alenko welcomed the change of topic.   
“Yeah. A lot of biotics are. We’re not restricted, but we sure don’t go undocumented. May as well get a paycheck for it. Besides, my father served. Made him proud when I enlisted.. eventually.”.  
Williams nodded and noted, “Military runs in my family too.”  
Shepard appeared lost in thought, and Alenko asked, “What about you, Commander?”.  
Shepard looked up at him, with a suspicious look on her face before answering cautiously.   
“My family were homesteaders.. on Mindoir. I’m the only one left.”.  
He could have slapped himself, this was all public knowledge. He awkwardly tried to mutter out an apology, but Shepard stopped him.   
“It’s ok, Lieutenant. I’m not ashamed to talk about it, but it may not be the best time. We’ll be arriving at the Citadel soon.”.  
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, until Shepard finished her drink and stood to leave.  
“Well, I might head to the bridge to check on things. Thanks for the drink.”  
As soon as Shepard was out of sight, Williams gave Alenko a sideways glance.  
“Real smooth, LT.”.   
Alenko buried his face in his hands and simply said, “I know.”.


	4. The Citadel - first steps

Anderson had ordered Alenko and Williams to be ready to dock at the Citadel. They arrived at the airlock just before Joker made the jump through the relay. Shepard turned to look at them as they approached. There was a sparkle in her eyes that was undeniable, any hint of sadness or pain from earlier had been replaced by pure wonder.   
She waved them over and said, “Come check out the view”.   
Alenko and Shepard were staring out the starboard window as they approached the massive station. The Citadel was stunning, like nothing they’d ever seen before. Meanwhile, Williams was on the port side, staring at the Destiny Ascension.   
“Look at the size of that Ship!”, she said in awe.   
Shepard chuckled a little at that, Williams was definitely a military woman.

They were quickly whisked off to the Ambassadors office, where they were made to stand idly while the politician argued and whined about the council. The soldiers were professionals, but their impatience was still obvious. Shepard even noticed Captain Anderson roll his eyes as Ambassador Udina droned on. The council had set a hearing for the next morning to discuss their allegations against Saren.   
As soon as Udina left them, Anderson turned to Williams.   
“We still need to get your transfer properly cleared Chief. We’ll head down to the veteran affairs office. The doctors there can clear you for transfer.”  
Williams saluted and answered, “Aye aye, sir.”.  
Shepard crossed her arms and asked, “And us, sir?”.  
Anderson shrugged. “You two are off duty until tomorrow, go explore or something.”.   
Shepard turned to Alenko as the Captain and Williams left.  
“Any ideas Lieutenant?”, she asked casually.   
Alenko rubbed the back of his neck as he answered awkwardly.  
“Uh, not really, ma’am.”.  
Shepard cocked her eyebrow and quickly apologised.   
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable Lieutenant. We don't have to do anything together. Please go have fun.”.  
He quickly corrected her. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that ma’am. I’m just a little.. overwhelmed, I guess. I've never been to the Citadel before. I’d actually appreciate the company.”, he said with a shy smile.  
Shepard returned his smile, clearly relieved.   
“Well, how about finding some actual food? Eating cafeteria crap constantly is definitely bad for morale.”.  
His smile widened as he answered, “That sounds incredible.”.

* * *

They found a small Asari noodle bar that served something similar to ramen. They sat side by side at bar as they both savoured the meal, eating largely in silence.   
After a while, he glanced over at her and spoke up nervously.  
“So, I have to ask.. What did you actually do to that scientist on Eden Prime? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”.  
She turned to look at him. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she searched his face, trying to gauge the intent behind the question. Her caution was instinctive. A reflex she'd developed after dealing with prejudice for years. It took her a second to remember that Alenko was a biotic too, and she chuckled at herself as she relaxed.   
“It’s a kind of deep pressure stimulation. I call it a ‘biotic hug’. My understanding is that it’s like a gentle stasis.”.   
She smirked to herself as she continued.   
“I’ve never been able to pull off a real stasis field, but the biotic hug was the first real thing I learnt.”  
Alenko rested his elbows on the bar, listening intently as she spoke.   
“Sounds like we had a very different education.”, he blurted without thinking.   
Shepard raised her brow quizzically.  
“Oh? Care to elaborate?”, she asked.  
His eyes widened as he realised what he'd said.  
“Ah, maybe another time.”, he mumbled with a tight smile.  
Shepard could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it, so she decided to elaborate on her own experience.   
“After the attack on Mindoir, a few of the surviving kids ended up in an alliance facility. One of the other kids in the facility was Autistic. He wasn’t coping well with everything. They bought in an Asari to help assess our biotic potential before they gave us implants. When he saw her, he started having a major meltdown – we had never seen any of other species on Mindoir, not until the Batarians arrived. He was screaming and slamming his head against the wall, it was awful. But the Asari just flared up and gave him a biotic hug, and.. it helped. When I finally got my implant, I begged her to teach me how to do it immediately. I practised that one move constantly for months.”.   
She smiled sadly, as her eyes met his. He wanted desperately to reach out and place a reassuring hand on hers, but he worried that touching his commanding officer might be a little inappropriate.   
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that. It must have been tough.”.  
Shepard nodded and sighed sadly. “Well, we can’t change the past. But, anyway, it wasn’t all bad.”.   
She folded her napkin and stretched out a yawn before adding; “I’m considering heading back to the ship. Seems 15 hours wasn’t quite enough rest for me.”.  
Alenko nodded and stood, “I’ll join you.”, he said.  
Shepard cocked her brow and smirked.   
“Well thanks, Alenko. It’s been a while since a gentleman has offered to walk me home.”, she said with a chuckle.  
He chuckled in return, even as a blush spread across his face.   
He had been attracted to her from the moment he saw her, but after today he couldn’t deny that he had a full-blown crush. Shit.


	5. The Citadel - gathering evidence

Shepard had gone to bed exhausted, but still had trouble sleeping. She was tormented all night by the images that were implanted in her mind by the beacon. She was almost relieved when the cabin lights brightened to mark the beginning of the day cycle. She got up and retrieved her dress blues from her trunk. She was a little nervous to face the council. She knew Saren was dangerous, but it was their word against his. She didn’t like their chances. She applied her makeup and checked her uniform carefully in the mirror, wanting to ensure everything was just right before heading up to meet the rest of the team.

Williams and Alenko looked as uneasy as Shepard felt as they ascended to the council chambers.  
Williams fussed with her sleeve and muttered, “The Council isn’t going to ask me any questions, are they?”.  
Alenko gave her a reassuring look and answered, “I doubt it. We’ve made our reports. Now we just have to trust Ambassador Udina.”.  
“No we don’t, sir.”, Williams replied with a scoff.  
Shepard couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. She was glad they were here, especially Williams. Her candid attitude and sense of humour even seemed to help Alenko relax a little.

* * *

The council meeting had gone as expected. They just didn’t have enough evidence. And now, they needed leads in the lower wards of the Citadel.  
Shepard outlined their plan as they started heading back to the Normandy to change out of their dress blues.  
“We should try to blend in.”, she said. “I know you two aren’t special forces trained, but this should be a cakewalk.”.  
She pondered for a moment before asking, “Do either of you have civvies that you can conceal a pistol in?”.  
Williams reminded them that she hadn’t exactly had time to pack before joining the Normandy.

* * *

Alenko and Williams quickly dressed in their standard Alliance BDU’s, but Shepard opted to wear jeans and a simple tank top.  
Williams gave Shepard a quick once-over and asked, “Damn Commander, you can really conceal a weapon in _that_ outfit?”, amazed.  
Shepard broke out a cheeky smile, “Maybe I _am_ the weapon, Chief.”, she said with a wink.

They were greeted with an incredible view as they stepped out of the rapid transport cab. They could see the entire arm of the Citadel stretch out in front of them, and this was only one of five..  
Alenko stared in awe and muttered “big place.”.  
“Is that your _professional_ opinion, Sir?”, Williams aked in her typical mocking tone.  
“He’s right Chief. This isn’t a station, it’s a _ci_ _ty_.”, Shepard returned, just as awed as Alenko.  
“There must be millions here. It can’t be possible to keep track of everyone coming and going.”, Alenko continued,   
“The council represents more races than I thought. No wonder they’re careful with newcomers." Shepard thought out loud as they leant against the railings.  
Williams scoffed again, “Or maybe they just don’t like humans.”, she stated.  
Shepard rolled her eyes at the younger woman, knowing that Williams hadn’t had the chance to meet many people from other species.  
Deciding to defuse the tension with humour, Shepard answered with a smirk.  
“Why not? We’ve got oceans, beautiful women, this emotion called ‘love’. According to the old vids, we have everything they want.”.  
A smile crept across Alenko’s face as he blurted out, “When you put it that way, there's no reason they wouldn't like you.".  
His eyes widened as he realised his mistake and quickly added, “I mean us. Humans. Ma'am.”.  
“You don’t take much shore leave, do you LT?”, Williams exclaimed with a laugh.   
Alenko rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, while Shepard tried to hide her smile.  
“Alright, laugh it up Chief. I appreciate the thought Alenko, but we’re on duty here.”  
It didn’t escape their notice that she had addressed him by name. He awkwardly stammered out an ‘aye aye’, as Williams offered to walk drag.  
Shepard snapped back into business mode.  
“We’re heading into a dingy bar to find a sleazy ex-cop. It’ll be better if I talk to him alone. You two go in ahead, find a table in visual range if you can.”.

* * *

Alenko and Williams sat side-by-side at a table across the bar from their target, Harkin.  
Alenko tapped his comms, “Target is in sight, Commander.”.  
Shepard acknowledged and walked up to the bar.  
“Why are we even here? We’re just sitting around watching Shepard talk?”, Williams sighed impatiently.  
“A little backup never hurt anyone, Chief.”, Alenko offered.  
Williams leant back in her chair.  
“Still, I never thought I’d be working in a strip club.”, she said with a snarky smile.  
Alenko just shook his head and smiled, keeping his eyes on Shepard as she grabbed a beer and approached Harkin.

  
They could hear Harkin clearly over the comms as Shepard walked up to him.  
“Hey there, sweetheart. You looking for some fun?”, the sleazy former C-sec officer slurred.  
Williams noticed Alenko’s jaw visibly tighten as they heard Harkin speaking to Shepard.  
Williams rolled her eyes and placed a comforting hand on his arm.  
“Relax, LT. Shepard can handle this.”.  
But Alenko kept his eyes locked on Shepard.  
Williams let out a frustrated sigh and removed her hand from his arm. Williams was not used to being ignored, especially not by men. But clearly, she had to accept that Alenko only had eyes for Shepard. Ashley wasn't even interested in him, not really. They were serving together, and there were regulations against fraternisation after all. But there was nothing wrong with a little battlefield flirting.

  
Harkin kept yammering on.  
“Why don’t you sit your sweet little ass down beside old Harkin? Have a drink and we’ll see where this goes.”.  
Alenko clenched his fists and forced himself to take a few deep breaths as Shepard answered with a flirtatious giggle and slid into the booth next to Harkin.  
“Sure, I’ll sit.. But only if there’s something in it for me.”, she said.  
Harkin put his arm around Shepard and stared at her with a slimy smile.  
“You looking for something specific, princess?”.   
Shepard fixed him with a gentle smile.  
“Yes, actually. I’m with the Alliance Navy.”  
Harkin gave her an appreciative glance and remarked. “Mm.. If more marines looked like you, I might’ve joined the Alliance instead of C-Sec.”.  
Shepard skin crawled as Harkin stroked her shoulder, but she kept her composure.  
“I’m looking for a C-sec officer. A Turian, named Garrus.”.  
Immediately, Harkin’s demeanour shifted. He sat up straight, his face becoming serious as he half-shouted, “You’re one of Anderson's crew?”.

Alenko half stood, ready to jump into action in case things turned bad.

Shepard just leaned in closer and placed a firm hand on Harkin’s thigh, an intense look in her eyes.  
That was all it took for Harkins to relent.  
“Yeah, ok. Garrus was sniffing around Dr Michel’s office. A small med clinic on the other side of the wards. He’s been there nearly all day.”  
Shepard stood smoothly, turning back to Harkin and saying “Thanks, Princess.”, before calling her team over.

* * *

The three of them were all in bad moods as they made their way over to Dr Michel’s clinic. Williams was the first to break the silence.  
“Ugh. Thank god we’re out of that place. Alenko looked ready to blow a gasket.”, she said with a sly sideways glance.  
“I just can’t believe any man would still treat women like that. It’s the 22nd century!”, Alenko huffed, blushing slightly.   
“I doubt _that_ will ever change, Alenko.”. Shepard let out with a humourless laugh.   
Williams huffed, adding, “Yeah. Hell, we’re a million light-years from where humanity began, and we still end up in a bar filled with men drooling over half-naked women shaking their asses on a stage.”  
Alenko scratched his brow and tried to lighten the mood.  
“What? You don't think they're there for the food?".  
Both women chuckled a little at that, the mood was a little lighter by the time they arrived at the clinic.

* * *

Shepard turned and hit Williams with a biotic throw before the clinic doors had even fully opened.  
“What the hell?”, Williams shouted as she hit the ground hard.   
She looked up at Shepard and Alenko, who both had drawn their sidearms and started glowing blue.  
“Stay down, Williams.”, Shepard barked. “You’re un-armoured.”.  
“So are you, ma’am?”, she returned. She was still confused and feeling a little dazed.  
“Don’t argue Chief.”. Shepard snapped as she fired a few shots.   
"We’ve got hostiles here, Chief. Our biotic barriers will give us some protection.”, Alenko responded more patiently.  
“Right..”. Williams muttered as she grabbed her pistol. She was still feeling dazed and began to notice a sharp pain in the back of her head.   
They dispatched the enemies quickly, and Shepard called the all-clear. Williams was a little unsteady as she re-joined the team. Shepard took one look at Williams and swore under her breath.  
“Williams! Are you ok?”, Alenko asked in a panic.   
Williams looked around at them, confused.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”, she told them, despite the dull ache at the back of her head.  
"Really, Chief?", Alenko asked sceptically.   
Williams sighed and admitted, “Well, maybe I took a little bump.”.  
Doctor Michel interjected.  
“A little bump? You’re bleeding! Please, sit down. Let me see that.”  
"Williams, I am so, so sorry.”, Shepard whispered sadly. She looked miserable.  
“Don’t worry about it, Commander. Hell, at least I didn’t get shot or anything.”. Williams offered a sincere smile and gave Shepard's hand a reassuring squeeze.   
Shepard nodded and smiled sadly, obviously still feeling guilty. But they were on a mission, and still had work to do. Now that they had found Garrus, they finally had a solid lead.   


Doctor Michel quickly examined Williams. Doctor Michel stopped the bleeding quickly but explained that Williams might have a minor concussion and needed to rest. Shepard requested a couple of the marines from the Normandy to come to escort Williams back to the ship, and she and Alenko followed Garrus to find a Quarian.


	6. The Citadel - The Quarian

Garrus introduced them to a Krogan mercenary named Wrex, explaining that Wrex was going after Fist - the Shadow Broker agent that had dealt with the Quarian.   
Shepard introduced herself, but Wrex just stared at her intensely.  
“We’re both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I’ll give you fair warning. I’m going to kill Fist.”.   
Shepard cocked an eyebrow looked quizzically at Garrus.   
“Should we go change into armour Garrus?”.   
“I wouldn’t worry too much. Sounds like typical Krogan hot-air.”. Garrus replied with a stiff laugh. 

* * *

Shots rang out as they stepped into Chora’s den.

“Hot air, Garrus?”, Shepard shouted as she dived behind an overturned table.   
“Yeah. Sorry about that Commander." Garrus mumbled. "Don’t worry, Wrex and I can handle it.”.  
Shepard rolled her eyes with a hint of amusement.   
“Ok, Alenko. You and I are sticking to cover, but keep your guard up.”.  
“Roger that, ma’am” he murmured as they drew their pistols again.

He could hardly believe that they’d been shot at on the Citadel, twice! He couldn’t help but wonder if constant shoot-outs in public places were standard for N7 officers, or if Shepard was always so calm under fire.

It took a while for Wrex and Garrus to clear out the guards, even with Shepard and Alenko hitting enemy targets with their biotics from behind cover.  
“So, how do you want to handle this Shepard?”, Garrus asked as the last guard fell.   
They regrouped at the entrance to Fist's office.   
Shepard scanned their surroundings quickly before letting out a defeated sigh.   
“We’re still un-armoured. Can you take the lead Garrus?”.  
The Turian nodded and answered, “On your mark, Commander.”   
  
Shepard nodded and signalled Alenko to join her in cover. She quickly got into position and offered Alenko an energy bar. Alenko accepted his rations with a bemused smile. He was somewhat curious where the rations had been stored since her outfit was reasonably tight-fitting. He immediately shut down that train of thought and tried to focus solely on the energy bar instead. Biotics needed to eat regularly, and it was nice to have a commanding officer who understood.

They sat in silence as Garrus interrogated Fist. A loud shot rang out as soon as Fist told them where the Quarian was.  
“Oh, crap. Wrex" Shepard muttered. "I totally forgot about that part.”.  
She jumped out of cover and ran to Fist's office where Garrus and Wrex stood arguing, guns drawn on each other.   
Shepard jumped between them, shouting, “Focus guys, we’ve got a Quarian to save.”.  
They lowered their weapons as Shepard stood between them, but continued to eye each other suspiciously. 

* * *

They rushed off and found the Quarian just as Saren’s thugs arrived. They took up positions, trying to stay in cover. The thugs went down easily. They had been expecting a lone Quarian and were no match against the five of them.   
“Ok, now I _really_ wish we’d gone back for armour.”, Shepard grumbled as the last thug went down.   
“Well I’m glad you showed up when you did. Fist set me up! I knew I couldn’t trust him!”. The Quarian noted as she wrung her hands nervously.  
"Were you hurt in the fight?", Shepard asked gently.  
"No, but I need to go somewhere safe.", the Quarian stated. She glanced around at the strange mix of a team that had saved her before asking, "Not that I don't appreciate the help, but who are you?".   
"Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy. I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor".  
"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life.", the Quarian said, nodding.   
"We need to out of here and get her somewhere safe.", Garrus grizzled.   
Alenko turned to Shepard and suggested they go to the Ambassadors office.  
"He'll want to see this anyway.", Shepard agreed. 

* * *

Shepard tried to maintain her composure as Udina ranted about firefights in the wards and a bloodbath in Chora’s den, but it had been a long day. Her patience was wearing thin by the time he finally acknowledged the presence of the Quarian.  
“Who have you dragged in here now Shepard? What are you up to?”.  
Shepard could barely conceal her irritation.  
“This Quarian can help us bring down Saren. I could’ve told you that already if you hadn’t jumped down my throat.”.  
"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.", the Quarian interjected.   
Shepard glanced over at Tali, the hint of a smirk on her lips. She was impressed that she had been willing to speak up for herself.

They were all a little surprised when the Ambassador apologised, and they reviewed the Tali had discovered. Tali played an audio file that proved Saren was directly involved in the attack on Eden Prime. Captain Anderson was elated, “This is exactly what we needed. We have to present this to the council right away!”.  
Udina nodded coolly, “The Captain is right. Follow me, Shepard.”.  
Shepard raised her brow in surprise.   
“Uh, Sir? We aren’t exactly dressed for a council audience.”.   
She was still in her civilian clothes, now also covered in dirt and sweat.  
Udina barely bothered looking at her before he muttered, “That’s not important right now”, dismissively.


	7. The human spectre's new clothes

It was barely past midday when they arrived back at the Normandy, but Shepard was exhausted. A lot had happened in the last few hours, they’d been in multiple shoot-outs, gotten Saren expelled from the spectres, and she had been officially inducted as a spectre herself. It had been a morning of surprises, but she never expected to be given command of the Normandy.  
She wanted nothing more than a steaming hot shower and a long nap, but she needed to go check on Williams. She still felt guilty, injuring one of her team was not one of her finest moments.

* * *

Williams was lounging on a cot in the medbay, keeping herself occupied by reading something on a datapad. A wide smile lit up her face and she happily shouted “Skipper!”, as the door slid open and Shepard entered the medbay.   
“Hey, Chief. Are you doing ok?”, she asked with a bemused smile and a sideways glance at the doctor.   
“Well first off, anyone who slams me on the floor can call me Ashley." Ashley said with a chuckle.   
"And secondly, I’m completely fine, just bored shitless. I was just reading on the extranet that humanity just got our first spectre, congrats.”.  
Shepard chuckled and pulled up a chair.   
“Thanks, Chief – Uh.. Ashley. Are you sure you’re ok?”.  
“Fine, I may have a minor concussion.", she admitted with a sigh. "But seriously, please don’t worry about it Commander, you probably saved me from getting shot.”  
"Thanks, Ashley. I needed to hear that.”, Shepard said with a smile.   
“Any time, Skipper. Though you could break me out if you really want to make it up to me.”, she said with a wicked smile.   
The medical officer rolled her eyes before speaking up.   
“Fine. You’re clear to leave, as long as you promise to rest.”  
Ashley practically jumped off her bed, and Shepard added with a laugh “That’s an order, Chief.”.

* * *

***

* * *

Alenko entered the mess hall in the middle of the morning cycle and found Shepard lost in thought as she sipped her coffee.   
The official transfer of command had been bittersweet for Shepard. Anderson had been her mentor for years. He was the closest thing she had to family, and it felt like she had betrayed him by taking his ship. She also felt slightly nervous to be assigned her own command. She hadn’t expected to be given command for at least a few years and she wasn’t entirely sure she was ready.   
Alenko snapped her out of her daze as he asked, “Is everything OK, Commander?”.   
Shepard thought of Jenkins, and the bad feeling she had when he was assigned to the ground team on Eden Prime. Shepard regarded Alenko thoughtfully for a moment before responding.   
“Can I ask you a favour Lieutenant?”.  
“Absolutely. Whatever you need, Commander.”. He answered without a moment's hesitation.  
She gestured for him to sit before she continued, her voice low.   
“As head of marine detail, you know a lot of the crew better than I do.”.   
Aleko simply nodded in response. His brow furrowed with confusion, unsure where this was leading.   
Shepard locked eye contact with him and continued, more confidently.  
“Please feel free to voice any concerns or opinions you have on our missions. Privately, of course.”  
He let out a relieved chuckle.   
“Aye aye, ma’am... Uh, is that all you wanted? You had me nervous for a minute.”   
Shepard laughed gently in return, and Alenko tried to ignore the butterflies still in his stomach.   
"Yes, Lieutenant. That was all."  
“Is there anything else I need to do before we leave the citadel ma’am?”.   
Shepard nodded as she consulted her datapad.   
“I’d like to review the squad equipment and make sure everyone has the right gear. I understand you’ve reviewed our human equipment already, but Wrex and Garrus will be coming aboard in a few hours, and Tali has set herself up in engineering. We should make sure we have everything they need.”.   
"Aye, ma’am. I’ll get right to it.”, Alenko said as he began to stand.   
Shepard held up and hand and said with a laugh “Wait for me to finish my coffee first.”

* * *

Ashley was working at the weapons bench in the cargo bay, chatting with Private Lowe. Neither of them had paid attention to the elevator doors sliding open. Ashley was explaining to Lowe why Shepard had been wearing civvies when she was inducted as a spectre.   
“It was for a _mission_ , Private. We were trying to blend in.”.  
Alenko opened his mouth to interrupt, but Shepard held up a hand to stop him.   
“And she couldn’t get changed before meeting the council? It’s like the Elysium posters all over again. I think she just likes the attention.”, Private Lowe scoffed.  
Shepard approached silently, standing right behind them with one hand on her hip before speaking.   
“Have you ever been shot, Private?”.   
Ashley and Private Lowe both spun around, clearly startled. All the colour drained from Private Lowe’s face as she snapped a salute. Ashley just gave Shepard an apologetic look.   
“Uh. No, ma’am. I haven’t ma’am.”, Private Lowe stuttered.  
Shepard narrowed her eyes and continued. “I have. I wouldn’t trade that pain for all the attention in the galaxy. I wonder.. What exactly do you know about Elysium, Private?”.   
Private Lowe replied quietly, “Ma’am. You held off an enemy squad and sealed the breach in the colonies defences, ma’am.”.  
Shepard looked around the cargo bay, aware that a number of the other crewmen has been listening in.   
"And a bunch of photos ended up on the extranet, right? Of me fighting in my bodysuit. It was all very heroic”, she said bitterly.

Alenko wondered if he should intervene; Private Lowe looked ready to faint, but he trusted Shepard knew what she was doing.   
“The vids never mention the civilians that we put in harm's way.”, she added sadly.   
Shepard looked to Ashley, asking softly “Chief Williams, do you know why I wasn’t wearing my hardsuit by the end the Blitz?”.   
“No, ma’am.”, Ashley responded, still trying to hide her amusement.   
Shepard crossed her arms and continued, “One of the other officers had a little sister visiting. She was 17 years old, just a kid. I gave her my hardsuit when I shoved a pistol in her hand.”.  
Several of the crewmen in the cargo bay exchanged stunned looks. Any trace of humour gone from the room, even from Ashley’s eyes.   
“It didn’t fit right of course, but I figured it would be better than nothing.” Shepard continued relentlessly. “That sweet, innocent girl ended up getting hit. Took a chemical round, square in the chest.”. Shepard paused and looked around at the stunned crewmen.   
“She was hurt. Badly. But my chest plate was just thick enough to stop toxins from getting into her bloodstream.”.   
Private Lowe began to mutter an apology, but Shepard told her to save it.   
“Every time I see one of those photos from the blitz, I think of the young girl who nearly died because of me.”. Shepard turned and addressed the whole cargo bay, “I hope all of you will think of that girl the next time you start to judge someone based on what you see on the extranet.”.  
Shepard turned back to Private Lowe and quietly added, “Take a breath, Private. I’m not mad, but I hope this has given you something to think about.”  
Private Lowe was still speechless, offering a shaky salute as an answer.  
Shepard spun around to face Alenko.  
“Alright. Let’s get to work Lieutenant.”, she said with a sigh.   
Alenko was equally speechless as they sorted through requisition forms.


	8. Into the dark

Shepard met Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina in the comm room to discuss their leads and clear them for departure.   
“The paperwork is all taken care of Shepard, you’re free to leave as soon as you’re ready.”, Udina stated.   
Shepard nodded and turned to Captain Anderson.   
“What are our orders, Sir?”.  
“I can’t give you orders any more, Shepard.”, Anderson replied. “You’re a spectre now. A spectre can’t answer to anyone but the council.”.  
Shepard’s brow furrowed in confusion.   
“Then where am I supposed to start looking?”, she asked Anderson.   
“We have a few leads”, Udina interjected. “We had reports of geth in the Feros system shortly before our colony dropped out of contact. There were also rumours of sightings around Noveria.”   
“What do we know about the Feros colony?”, She asked quickly.   
“The entire planet used to be one giant Prothean city. The colony tried to build on what the Prothean’s left behind.”, Anderson explained. He offered Shepard an understanding look and added, “We lost all contact with them when the geth attacked.”.  
Udina waved a hand dismissively and interrupted, “I suggest you go straight to Noveria. Those colonists are probably all dead anyway.”.  
Anderson shifted uncomfortably as Shepard turned and fixed Udina with one of her most intense looks. Shepard’s stare was enough to stop most men dead in their tracks. Even Anderson himself found it a little intimidating, and he had known Shepard since she was just a teen. Udina, however, did not flinch. Anderson laughed silently to himself, wondering if Udina was incredibly brave, or just stupid.   
“They said that once about Mindoir.”, Shepard said coolly.   
“It’s your decision, Commander.”, Udina said in an equally cool tone. “But your actions reflect on humanity as a whole. You make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up.”.  
Shepard narrowed her eyes, her loathing of the Ambassador clear on her face.   
“I’ll do my job, Ambassador. I expect you to do yours.”, Shepard said, turning away from them to radio orders to the new XO.   
  
Anderson was able to hold his composure until Ambassadors Udina left them.   
“Oh, Shepard.”, he said with a small laugh. “I’m going to miss you. Nobody else is willing to piss off our dear Ambassador quite like you.”.  
“Spectre privilege, Sir?”, Shepard remarked with a grin.   
Anderson laughed, but there was a lingering sadness in his eyes.   
“Are you really OK, Anderson?”, Shepard asked gently.   
Anderson sighed. He knew that there was no point in lying to Shepard. She was unbelievably observant, and she knew him too well. If he didn’t know any better, he might almost believe the stories about biotics being mind readers.   
“Honestly? This isn’t how I pictured my career coming to an end. Pushing papers really isn’t my thing. But you’re the one who can stop Saren. I believe in you, Shepard. And this is for the best.”  
“I won’t let you down, Captain.”, Shepard said sadly.  
“You could never let me down, Shepard”, he responded sincerely. “Now. I should probably get off this bird before it takes off.”.   
Anderson chuckled as Shepard offered a salute.   
“Is that all the goodbye I get now, _Commander_?”.  
“Of course not, Sir.”, Shepard chuckled in return, as Anderson pulled her in for a hug.

They were still running through the pre-flight checks by the time Anderson left.   
“How much longer, Joker?”, Shepard asked.   
“About 5 minutes, ma’am.”   
“And how long until we get to Feros?”  
“Somewhere between 10 and 12 hours.”.  
“We need to get there ASAP.”. Shepard said. “Can we try to make it 10?”.  
Joker looked up at her, noting the obvious concern in her expression.   
“Aye aye, ma’am. I’ll do my best.”  
“Thanks, Joker.”, she said with a polite smile.   
“Yeah, no problem.”. he said in response.   
He hesitated for a moment, before deciding to continue. “How was Captain Anderson doing? Survive a hundred battles and then get taken down by backroom politics? That’s gotta sting.”  
“It wasn’t my choice, Joker.”, Shepard replied as she eyed him warily.  
Joker’s eyes widened in panic as he saw her expression. “Aw, Shit. That’s not what I meant. Nobody’s blaming you. Everyone on this ship is behind you, Commander. One hundred percent.”.  
Shepard relaxed and offered him another small smile.   
_‘Great start’_. Joker thought to himself sarcastically.   
“Well ma’am, pre-flight checks are nearly done. If you’ve got anything you want to say to the crew, now’s the time.”.   
Shepard nodded solemnly and addressed the crew as the Normandy lifted off.


	9. Toward Feros

Shepard tried to catch a few hours of sleep before they arrived at Feros, but the images from both the Prothean beacon and Mindoir made sleep impossible. She paced around her cabin, aware that every minute that passed made it more unlikely that they would find any survivors. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The Alliance knew that Feros had been attacked. Why hadn’t they already sent someone? There must have been ships that could have been there sooner. She wanted to punch something, but the only equipment was down in the cargo bay with Garrus and Wrex’s bunks. She decided to go check if they were awake. They had only been on board for a few hours, after all.

She was glad to see both Garrus and Wrex were awake, but even happier to see that they weren’t pointing weapons at each other.   
“You two getting along down here?”  
“Well, we aren’t going to be best friends or anything. But it looks like we aren’t going to shoot each other either.”, Garrus answered.  
“Heh heh heh. Speak for yourself, Turian.”, Wrex replied.  
“Very funny, Wrex.”, Shepard said dryly. “..But let’s cut the crap. Are we going to have a problem here?”  
Wrex turned to face her, an intense look in his eyes as he stared at her.   
“I gave you my word, Shepard.”  
“Glad to hear it”, Shepard said with a nod. “Now do you guys mind if I take the punching bag?”.   
They both mumbled their consent, and the three of them proceeded to ignore each other.

* * *

Williams was eating alone in the mess when Alenko came to join her.   
“Hey Chief, mind if I join you?”.  
“Go ahead, LT.”, she replied with a smile. “Feel free to call me Ash, by the way.”  
“Right. Um... Thanks, I guess.”, he said somewhat awkwardly. He was a bit of a loner outside of the Alliance and was unaccustomed to people speaking as informally as Ashley.   
Ashley appeared thoughtful as she pushed her food around on her tray. It was obvious that something was bothering her.   
“Something bothering you, Ash?”, he asked quietly.   
Ashley looked up from her tray and looked him in the eyes briefly, mustering up just enough courage to ask. “Skipper isn’t mad at me, is she?”.  
Alenko stared at her confused for a few moments, before clarifying.  
“You mean Shepard? Uh, I don’t know. Why would she be mad at you?”  
Ashley put down her fork, clearly still worried. “About the... Discussion with Private Lowe yesterday. You guys were working together after that, right?”   
“Oh, that.” Alenko said, feeling himself blushing slightly as he recalled the incident. “We didn’t really talk about it, but she did ask if I thought she’d been too harsh on Private Lowe. She didn’t seem angry, but I can’t say for sure.”  
Ashley nodded and began to stand, having already finished her meal.   
“Thanks anyway, LT.”, she said with a sigh.   
She was already at the door when Alenko called out, “You know.. Since we’re on a first-name basis now, you can probably start calling me Kaidan if you want.”  
“L-T is shorter.”, she called back with a cheeky grin.   
Alenko devoured the remainder of his meal in silence. His previous posting had been on a much larger ship, and it felt strange to have the mess hall to himself.

* * *

Shepard was on her way back to the Captain's quarters when an unfamiliar voice emanating from the mess hall stopped her in her tracks. _A woman’s voice_ , she thought to herself. Shepard didn’t know the everyone on the ship well enough to be certain, but this voice definitely didn’t sound like it belonged to one of the crew. Shepard decided that she should probably investigate, just to be sure.   
The voice became clearer as Shepard moved toward the mess hall.  
As the door opened, Shepard heard; “..leave. I love you so much. Let me know when.. ”, before Alenko jumped up and shut down his omnitool, blushing.   
“Oh! I’m sorry Lieutenant... I didn’t mean to interrupt.”, Shepard stammered, a deep blush spreading across her pale cheeks.   
Alenko let out a relieved breath as he realised it was Shepard who had appeared.   
“Ah, no problem ma’am.”, he replied with a nervous smile. “I thought you were Ashley for a second.. Uh.. Chief Williams, ma’am.”  
Shepard looked at him intently through narrowed eyes.  
“Lieutenant, do I need to know why you don’t want Ashley to hear you speaking to a woman?”   
Alenko might have laughed if it wasn’t for Shepard’s intense gaze.   
He tried to explain, but all that came out was an incoherent stutter. Completely lost for words, he decided to replay the message from the start.   
Shepard’s gaze softened as the message began.   
“Kaidan, my sweet baby boy. Your father and I just heard you’re working with a spectre now? We are so proud..”.  
Shepard held up a hand and said, “Alright, I get the picture Alenko. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that.”.   
Alenko let out another relieved breath and politely muttered, “Thank you, ma’am.”, though he still looked uncomfortable.  
He shifted and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he explained, “Yeah.. That was my mother. Ash would probably never let me live it down if she heard.”.   
“Yeah, that sounds like Ash.”, Shepard laughed, but her smile faded as she met his eyes.   
“I am really sorry though. I feel like an ass.”, she told him while rubbing at the back of her neck.   
“Seriously ma’am, don’t worry about it.”, he said sincerely.   
His eyes scanned her intently before he added, “I hope this isn’t out of line, ma’am.. But are you ok? You look a little.. stressed.”.   
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me Lieutenant.”, Shepard said defensively, though her face softened and she let out a deep breath as her eyes met his.  
His eyes stayed locked on hers as he cocked his brow sceptically. “Of course, ma’am. I don’t mean to pry... But you know you can talk to me if you need to.”.   
Shepard broke eye contact and sighed deeply, hesitating for a moment. When she finally met his eyes, she was comforted by the warmth in his gaze. “I’m fine, really. It’s just... A colony under attack. It brings back memories, you know?”   
He averted his eyes and nodded, unsure of what to say. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Is there anything I can do?”.   
“As I said, you don’t need to worry about me. But I appreciate the offer.” Shepard said with a sad smile and placing a grateful hand on his shoulder.  
They both felt the gentle flow of electricity at the contact as their biotics interacted.  
“Well, I should go.”, Shepard said as she quickly pulled her hand back. “Sorry again, Lieutenant. And thanks.”  
Alenko was once again rendered speechless. 


	10. Zhu's Hope

Ashley was called to the cargo bay to gear up as the Normandy approached Feros. Shepard decided not to risk taking one of the new crew members ground side until she got to know them a bit better. Alenko and Shepard were on opposite sides of the cargo bay, their gear carefully laid out in front of them.   
Ashley took the bench next to Kaidan and started checking her own gear.  
“Hey, LT.”, she said politely.   
“Huh? – Oh - Hey there, Chief.” he mumbled, clearly distracted.   
Ashley felt the prickle of annoyance as she followed his gaze.   
“It’s never going to happen, LT.”, she whispered.   
“Uh - What, Chief?” he asked, turning to look at her.   
“You and Shepard.”, she said with an uncharacteristically harsh look on her face.   
“Uh – I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ash.” Alenko stammered as he blushed deeply, nearly dropping the greaves he was holding.  
“You were staring, Alenko. It’s a little pathetic.” Ashley scoffed bitterly, before grabbing her gear and storming off to a different bench.   
Alenko was left bewildered and more than a little hurt by Ashley’s cruel tone. But they had a mission, and he needed to focus.

* * *

They all breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived at the Zhu’s Hope port and were greeted by surviving colonists. Unfortunately, it didn’t take Shepard long to start suspecting that something was very wrong with the colonists. Most of the colonists completely disregarded the soldiers' presence, and they all seemed to be acting strangely.   
Shepard called the team to a quiet corner of the colony and whispered, “Any theories?”.  
Alenko shook his head and stated, “Nothing unusual is showing up on the scans. Could it be trauma from the attacks?”.   
Williams gave a puzzled look and asked, “Uh – What are you talking about?”.  
Shepard and Alenko both turned and stared incredulously at her.   
“You haven’t noticed the colonists acting a little – strange, Williams?”.  
"Can’t say I blame them, living in a place like this.”, Ashley said with a shrug.   
Shepard heard the bitterness hidden behind Ashley’s attempt at humour and made a mental note to talk to her when the mission was over.   
“It almost seems like they have control chips or something.” Alenko said thoughtfully, “We could get doctor Chakwas to run a more thorough scan.”.  
Shepard shook her head, “We need to clear out the geth first. Just keep an eye out for anything strange.”.

* * *

They found more survivors after they cleared the geth out of the ExoGeni research headquarters, a few klicks away from Zhu’s hope. They questioned the researchers about the colony, looking for any insight into why the geth were here.   
One of the researchers finally admitted that ExoGeni had deliberately exposed the colonists at Zhu’s Hope to spores from an indigenous lifeform. Shepard swore, not bothering to hide her rage.   
The ExoGeni representative, Ethan Jeong, told his guards to restrain the scientist as soon as she revealed the truth.   
Shepard turned on him and spat “You bastards knew about this?”.   
Alenko felt her energy shift with rage, her biotics dangerously close to visibly flaring. He moved silently to her side and gave her a gentle look, silently asking if she was ok. Shepard gave him a curt nod as they made eye contact, confirmation that she had things under control.

“You don’t understand” Jeong stuttered, “ExoGeni wants this place purged. They don’t want people finding out about the Thorian”.   
“But this is a human colony! You can’t just kill them, it’s not their fault”, the scientist shouted.   
Shepard allowed her biotics to flare briefly as she spoke up.   
“You’ll have to go through me, Jeong. And, it’s too late anyway. I’m a spectre. My sentinel is uploading everything we’ve learnt, right now.”, Shepard replied coolly with a slight nod toward Alenko.   
Alenko nodded in return and quickly tapped away at his omnitool, transmitting notes directly to the Normandy.  
Jeong raised his hands defensively and stuttered “No - I – I don’t want to die either. But ExoGeni is going to send a team to ‘secure’ their investment.”.  
A bitter smile spread across Shepard's face as she thought back to Mindoir.  
“Sell it to them then.", she suggested. "Just think of the promotional opportunities. The human spirit, recovering from an alien attack on a frontier world.”.  
She summoned up her biotic energy again, as she threatened Jeong.  
“And you can also tell them.. If they harm a single colonist – They’ll have me to deal with.”.   
Jeong swallowed hard and assured them that he would do what he could.

* * *

Joker’s panicked voice sounded out over the commline as they approached the Zhu’s Hope outpost. “Normandy to shore party. Are you reading? Come on, Commander. I’m freaking out here.”  
Alenko answered, concern in his voice. “Joker? Shore party here. We read you.".   
“Calm down, Joker. What’s going on over there?”, Shepard added.   
“Something happened to the colonists. They’re banging on the hull, trying to claw their way inside the ship.. You ordered us to maintain our seals, does that order still apply ma’am?”.   
“Yes, Joker. Maintain internal atmosphere. The colonists can’t do any real damage, just hold your position. We’ll be back soon.”.   
“Aye aye, ma’am. Godspeed.”.   
Shepard ordered the team to secure the atmosphere seals on their suits, and they went to off find the Thorian.

* * *

The Thorian grew in a network of tunnels under the colony.   
“Okay, by the numbers.”, Alenko said as he scanned the area on his ‘tool. “We just need to find… to find…”, he trailed off as they turned a corner and noticed the Thorian in front of them.  
The Thorian was huge, a massive bundle of nodes with tendrils extending out for kilometres.   
They all stared in awe at the giant plant-like creature before them. They were interrupted before they had the chance to properly inspect the lifeform, as a group of humanoid shaped creatures came barrelling toward them.   
Shepard grabbed her shotgun and took point in front of Williams and Alenko.   
The first creature exploded in a pool of acid as she pulled the trigger, giving the other creatures time to spit acid all over her.   
She swore under her breath as she felt the acid burn through the outer layers of her hardsuit, and she was assaulted with a foul smell.   
The creatures went down before she even had the chance to recover, hit by a biotic throw.   
“Shepard! Are you ok?”, Kaidan called out in alarm. “You’ve got a suit breach.”  
“Ugh… Yeah, the smell made that pretty obvious, Lieutenant.”  
Williams quickly glanced between them. “Is that _thing_ in her mind now?”, she asked Alenko.   
“No. I don’t think so. According to the ExoGeni research, it takes a few weeks of exposure for the spores to have any real impact.”.   
“It’s worth keeping your helmet on though, if not just for the smell.”, Shepard joked. “Now let’s kill this thing.”

* * *

They destroyed node after node until the Thorian finally dropped, a high-pitched scream ringing out below them.   
“What. The. Fuck?”, Ashley muttered under her breath. It was a sentiment they all shared.   
The Thorian was a bizzare creature, but they’d never expected it would spit out an Asari matron as it died.   
They cautiously surrounded the Asari with weapons at the ready, in case she turned out to be hostile. But the Asari just mumbled “I’m free. I’m free.”  
“Who are you, and where the hell did you come from?” Shepard demanded as she eyed the matron cautiously.  
“My name is Shiala”, the Asari explained. “I serve—I served Matriach Benezia. I was offered to the Thorian as a thrall.. But now, I’m free.”, she said gently.   
“You’re going to need to come with us.”, Shepard said, her tone all business. “Williams, can you secure the prisoner? Let’s get back to the ship.”.

* * *

Williams removed her helmet as soon as they entered the Normandy airlock.   
“Oh god.”, she exclaimed in disgust. “It smells like compost in here. Rotten compost.”  
“This is nothing compared to the tunnels.”, Alenko replied absentmindedly. He had been splashed with acid as the Thorian fell, and it had burnt a hole his suits environmental seal.   
The combination of the foul odour and extended use of his biotics had resulted in a migraine beginning to form at the back of his skull.   
“That’s why you guys should wear heavy armour.” Ash started.   
"Light armour is better for biotics", Alenko explained.   
“The smell will have to wait.”, Shepard interjected. “We should probably go straight to the medbay”.   
Alenko quietly acknowledged the order and called the ship marines to escort Shiala to a holding cell on the lower decks, as the decontamination cycle completed.

* * *

Ashley had come out of the fight unscathed and was dismissed as soon as Dr Chakwas gave her the all clear. Alenko had a few small burns, but his migraine was still building, so Dr Chakwas gave him a cocktail of painkillers and sedatives. Shepard’s burns were significantly worse. Her armour had melted and fused to her skin where the Thorian creepers had spat acid across her left shoulder and down her back.   
“I need to clean these wounds, Shepard… I’m sorry, Kaidan – but this may get loud.”, Doctor Chakwas said gently.  
“I’ll try to keep quiet.”, Shepard said with a smile, looking over to Alenko’s bed. He looked much more relaxed already, the drugs already taking effect. Shepard forced herself to look away, as she realised her gaze had been lingering on his form for a little too long.  
“That’s ok.”, he slurred. “I like having you around. Your voice is very soothing.”.  
Shepard felt a smile spread across her face, even as the doctor got to work on her wounds.

* * *

The ground teams and Shiala were waiting for Shepard in the comm room for the debrief as soon as her injuries had been treated and she’d washed away the worst of the smell. As the only Alliance officer present, Ashley was the only one to stand and salute as Shepard entered.   
“At ease, Chief.”, Shepard said with amusement in her eyes as she sat.   
“Spirits, Shepard!”, Garrus audibly gasped when he saw her injuries. “Your back! Why wasn’t your squad watching your six?”   
“ _Excuse_ me, Vakarian?”, Ashley said coolly, falling silent as Shepard gave her an intense look.   
“Relax, Garrus. It was my own fault”, Shepard interjected, though her eyes were still on Ashley.   
“I’m a vanguard,”, she continued. “I like to fight up close. I just didn’t expect those things to spit acid.”.   
Garrus let out a strange two-toned grumble as he apologised to Chief Williams.   
“Wonderful. Now can we please focus?”, Shepard snapped impatiently, turning on Shiala. “You work for Benezia?”  
Shiala nodded and began to explain.   
“I did. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. Saren offered me as a sacrifice to secure an alliance with the Thorian.”.  
“Saren’s pretty quick to betray his own people.” Wrex huffed.  
“What did Saren want with the Thorian?”, Shepard probed.   
The Asari shifted in her seat. “The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions, correct? But they were unclear, scrambled.”   
Shepard regarded her suspiciously and gave a slight nod in response.   
“The Thorian possessed a cipher. The knowledge of the Protheans, which may help him decode the visions.”.   
“You gave the cipher to Saren.”, Garrus accused.   
“Yes.”, Shiala confirmed. “However, I can transfer this knowledge to you as well, Commander. From my mind to yours.”.  
“No way.”, Ashley snapped. “Is that even safe?”  
Wrex chuckled. “Oh, yeah. The Asari are known for their mind-melds.”  
Shepard sighed and reluctantly accepted, moving to stand in front of the prisoner.   
Shiala quickly explained the process and reached out to touch Shepard.

Suddenly, Shepard lost track of her surroundings. Her mind was flooded with the images from the beacon, and her head began to throb.   
The world span as their connection broke and it took Shepard a moment to realise that Garrus was holding her up and Ashley was shouting at Shiala.   
“I’m – It’s fine.”, Shepard stuttered.   
“What just happened?” Tali asked.   
“It still didn’t make any sense.”, Shepard said focused solely on Shiala.   
“You have been given the experience of an entire people. It will take some time for your mind to process the information.”, Shiala explained.   
“You don’t look well, Shepard. You should see your doctor.”, Garrus fussed.   
Shepard’s shook her head, which was still pounding. “We still need to figure out what Benezia is up to.”  
“We can take care of the questioning if you want, Shepard. I’ve got your back.”, Garrus said with an amused twitch of his mandibles. Shepard glanced over at Ashley, who gave a single nod as confirmation.


	11. Feros debrief

Shepard still felt slightly queasy when she woke from her nap. The council had received their reports and authorised her to deal with Shiala as she saw fit. Joker called out to her from the mess hall as soon as she stepped out of her cabin.   
“Hey Joker, I don’t see you down here too often.”  
“Yeah, well... Not much need for a pilot when we’re just sitting here.”  
Shepard replied with a chuckle, “We’ll head off soon enough. We just need to figure out where to go first.”.  
“Ah, well. Let’s try not to park the ship in a colony of mutant zombies at our next destination. Just thinking out loud here.”, Joker suggested.   
“Spectres are trouble, remember?” Shepard told him with a laugh, and she left to find the rest of her crew.

* * *

Shepard went to Garrus first, quizzing him on what he had learnt from Shiala.   
“Apparently Benezia has a daughter, an expert on the Protheans. Benezia has sent the Geth to the Artemis Tau cluster to find her.”, he revealed.   
Shepard considered for a moment before contacting XO Pressley to inform him of their next destination.   
Shepard turned back to Garrus, giving him a thoughtful look. “And what about Shiala? What would you do with her?”.   
Garrus hummed as he considered. “She wants to remain at Zhu’s Hope and help rebuild the colony. I believe her remorse is genuine. But it’s your call, Shepard. You’re a spectre, we’re not bound by c-sec rules”.   
Shepard narrowed her eyes, pondering the subtext of his comment. “Is that why you left c-sec Garrus? So you aren’t bound by their rules?”  
Garrus shifted on the spot, wringing his talons as he spoke. “I suppose so. If you want to nail someone like Saren, you need to send someone who isn’t restricted by policies and procedures.”.   
Shepard cocked her brow and crossed her arms. “Just because you can break the rules, doesn’t mean you should. I don’t need to stoop to Saren’s level to stop him. And neither do you, Garrus.”, she countered.   
Garrus thanked her and promised to consider her words, and she left to talk to Ashley.

Ashley was working at the weapons bench when Shepard approached.   
“Hey, Ash. Do you have a few minutes to talk, one-on-one?”.  
“You’re the boss, I’m sure I can make time.”, Ashley said with a shrug, putting down her tools.  
Shepard asked Ashley to give her a run-through of Shiala’s interrogation and was pleased that it matched with Garrus’ report.   
Ashley started nervously glancing around as she finished her report.   
“Before you go, Commander... Can I have a minute, off the record?”.   
Shepard was alarmed by Ashley’s uncharacteristic formality, and said, “Of course, Chief. I keep an open-door policy. If you have any concerns, lay them on me.”   
Ashley sighed deeply, worried that discussing her concerns could land her in trouble for insubordination.   
She avoided Shepard's intense gaze as she confessed, “I know things are different aboard the Normandy, but – I’m concerned about the aliens. Vakarian and Wrex. With all due respect, Commander, they’ve been given a lot of freedom. Should they have full access to the ship?”.   
“Because they’re not human?”, Shepard asked bluntly, her tone even and unemotional.   
“Yeah - I mean.. This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance navy!” Ashley said defensively.   
“You don’t trust the Alliance’s allies?”, Shepard continued, unrelenting.  
“Well I’m not sure I’d call the council races allies.”, Ashley mumbled bitterly. “But even so, I wouldn’t bet everything on them staying allies.”.   
“You’ve been stuck ground side for most of your career, right?”, Shepard asked.  
“Yes, ma’am. Mainly part of surface garrison forces.”. Ashley was relieved that Shepard didn’t seem angry that Ashley was expressing her concerns, but was confused by the apparent change of direction in her questioning.  
“We work with other races a lot in special ops.”, Shepard noted. “Give them a chance, Chief. They may surprise you.”  
Ashley saluted in acknowledgement. “Aye, aye ma’am. You say ‘Jump’, I say ‘how high’. You tell me to kiss a Turian, I’ll ask which cheek.”.  
“Turians don’t have cheeks – Well.. not on their face at least.” Shepard said with a smirk.   
Ashley laughed, the joke succeeding in lightening her mood.   
“Well how about we all grab some lunch, try to get to know them?”, Shepard suggested.

* * *

Alenko was surprised when he left the medbay to see Shepard and Ashley sitting together with Garrus and Tali in the mess hall. Shepard met his eyes as he walked past, and glanced towards at the empty chair beside her, a silent invitation. He smiled widely as he turned to join them.   
“How’s your head, LT?”, Ashley asked as he sat.  
“Much better. Thank you, Chief.”, he said.   
He glanced around at the gathered crew before finally looking over at Shepard. “Uh – Are you ok, Commander? You look a little pale.”.   
“You say that to all the ladies, Lieutenant?”, Shepard asked, an amused twinkle in her eyes.   
“It’s that damn Cipher! That Asari messed you up good.”, Ashley spat. Falling silent when Shepard threw her an annoyed glance.   
Alenko looked around confused, and Shepard promised to fill him in later.

“So – Is it common for human women to be front-rank fighters? I know that Salarian and Krogan woman do not usually fight.” Tali asked to brake the tension.   
Ashley relaxed slightly as she looked in Tali’s direction. “It’s becoming more common, but it took a long time to prove that “ladies” could handle an assault rifle or a shotgun.”.  
“Well you and Shepard are definitely proving they can.”, Tali offered.   
“Yes, I doubt anyone who saw your skill under fire could remain sceptical.”, Garrus nodded in agreement.   
“Uh – Thanks Vakarian.”, Ashley mumbled, genuinely surprised by the Turian’s kind words.   
“Please, call me Garrus.”, he said with a warm look in his eyes.  
“Um.. Ok. You can call me Ashley.”.   
Shepard beamed at Ashley, pleased that she was making an effort with the non-humans.  
“What about you, Shepard?”, Tali asked simply, and they all turned to look at Shepard.  
“What about me?”, Shepard replied, her eyes darting between each of them in confusion.  
“I know the first name of everyone here, except for yours.”, Tali explained, her voice laced with curiosity.   
Shepard took a moment to respond, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.   
“I – uhh.. Everybody just calls me Shepard.”, she answered lamely.   
Garrus tilted his head curiously, “Is that normal for humans? I’ve never met a human with only one name before.”   
“No, Garrus. It’s not normal.”, Shepard replied quietly.  
Ashley shifted in her seat, while Alenko rubbed the back of his neck, both sensing Shepard’s discomfort.   
Shepard took a deep breath and sat up straight, pushing down her discomfort.   
“I stopped going by my first name after my family was killed on Mindoir.”, she confessed.   
“Oh – I - uh... I’m sorry, Shepard.”, Garrus muttered.   
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until the squad excused themselves one by one until only Shepard and Alenko remained.

* * *

Shepard quickly informed him that they were en route to the Artemis Tao cluster to find Benezia’s daughter, and briefly recounted what they had learnt from Shiala. A disturbed look developing on his face as he considered this new information.   
“Penny for your thoughts, Lieutenant?”, Shepard asked with a gentle smile.   
He shifted in his seat nervously under her scrutiny.   
“Off the record, ma’am. I think there’s something wrong here.”  
Shepard gave him a curious look, urging him to elaborate.  
“Saren is trading people to aliens for some kind of lost knowledge. But we can’t get back up from the Council? Sorry, Commander. There’s writing on the wall here, but someone isn’t reading it.”.  
Shepard nodded, not the first time she found herself impressed by his grasp of complex issues.  
“The Council doesn’t want to believe anything’s wrong.”, she stated, adding with a smirk “I’d call it human nature, but..”.  
“I hear ya.”, Alenko chuckled softly, the concern still etched on his face. “It’s just funny. We finally get out here, and the final frontier was already settled. And the residents don’t even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers.”, he continued with a sigh.  
Shepard cocked her head to the side and looked at him with a mischievous smile.   
“Well, well, you’re a romantic. Did you sign on for ‘the dream’, Alenko? Secure man’s future in space?”   
He blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck as he returned her smile.   
“Yeah, I read a lot of those books when I was a kid. Where the hero goes to space to prove himself worthy of a woman he loves. Or, you know. For justice.”, he said, his blush deepening. “Ah, maybe I was a romantic in the beginning. But I thought about it after Brain Camp – ah, sorry ‘Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training. I’m not looking for ‘the dream’. I just want to do some good. See what’s out here.”.  
He went quiet for a moment, adding “Sorry if I got too informal, Commander.”.  
Shepard tried to hide her amusement, “You know formality isn’t really my thing, Lieutenant. And to be perfectly honest, I’m very curious about that ‘different’ education of yours. I just didn’t want to pry.”.  
“I appreciate that, Commander.”, he said. His heart fluttered at the warmth and compassion in her eyes, and he felt safe to talk about BAaT for the first time in years. 

* * *

Joker’s sudden laugh caught Ashley’s attention as she checked over the weapons in the cockpit.   
“Got something good there, Joker?”, she asked.   
“Just Alenko making eyes at our commanding officer. Nothing new.”, he answered with a smirk.   
Ashley plopped down in the co-pilot seat, to better see the security vids, and listened as Alenko droned on to Shepard about biotic training.   
“You know, I’ve kinda been an ass about it... But after seeing them in action together on Feros, I actually think they’re perfect together.”, she admitted.   
“No way, there are regs. And Shepard’s way too hot for him.”, Joker said, giving Ash a sideways glance.   
“Oh. Is that jealously I hear, Joker?”, Ashley said with a snort.   
“No way!”, he said defensively. “I’m not really into girls that can snap me in half with their minds. But, I mean… Objectively speaking. Yeah, Shepard’s hot.”  
“Hate to break it to you, Joker... But Alenko is kinda hot too. I bet they’ll be hooking up by the end of the mission.”, Ashley joked.   
“Alight. 50 creds?”, Joker suggested.   
“You’re on.”, Ashley agreed.   
Ashley’s confidence increased when they heard Alenko ask Shepard, “You make a habit of getting this personal with everyone?”.   
And Shepard replied with a wicked smile “To some degree... But I don’t always enjoy it.”. 


	12. Searching for Dr T'Soni

They were travelling towards the Artemis Tau cluster, despite not having a specific destination yet. Shepard and Navigator Pressly had spent most of the day locked away, filtering through intel reports to narrow their search.   
Most of the crew were taking advantage of their extended travel time to relax and unwind, but Kaidan was distracted. He knew he should be focused solely on the mission, but he couldn’t help thinking about his last conversation with Shepard. It seemed that every time he spoke to her, he blurted out too much.   
“She was smart and charming as hell. Beautiful, but not stuck up about it – Like you, I guess... Uh -Ma’am.”.  
He was grateful that there were no witnesses to his humiliation this time, but he couldn't help but groan as he recalled describing his teenage crush, Rahna to Shepard.  
He had expected Shepard to scold him for his inappropriate remark, but she just listened quietly as he talked about BAaT. It was incredible to him that Shepard was so patient and so compassionate despite everything she had been through.   
He remembered her wicked smile as she walked away, and his chest fluttered with hope - though the logical part of his mind knew that she was just doing her job, and trying to get to know the crew.

* * *

Ashley watched Alenko from across the room as he worked at his terminal, a range of emotions playing on his face. She felt a strange mix of amusement and guilt as she thought back to her words to him before they touched down on Feros.   
“Hey, LT. Got a minute?” Ashley asked, internally cringing as she prepared for the conversation ahead.  
“What do you need, Chief?” Alenko replied as he stopped working and turned to face her.   
Ashley’s guilt spiked as he looked at her. His arms were folded across his chest, and the usual warmth in his eyes was missing. It was obvious that he hadn't forgotten the conversation either.  
“Uh… Tali wanted to see you.”, she mumbled. She was wringing her hands awkwardly, and eyes locked on the floor as she continued, “But, also... I wanted to apologise for what I said before Feros. I was out of line, and I’m sorry.”.   
Alenko shifted his weight slightly, considering her words for a moment before he replied.   
“I appreciate the apology, Chief… But you weren’t entirely wrong. Harsh, maybe - but not wrong.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as they made eye contact.   
Ashley glanced at him, relieved to see the warmth returned to his eyes. “Well, I really am sorry. And… uh – I actually think I might have been wrong, anyway.”, she confessed with a chuckle.  
Alenko just gave her a stunned look, the confusion rendering him speechless.  
“Yeah. I think you might have a shot.”, she said with a devious grin. “Anyway, go see Tali.”

* * *

Kaidan found Tali in her usual spot, down in engineering. He could sense her anxiety as he approached. She was wringing her hands and shifting her weight around nervously as she greeted him.  
“Hey, Tali. Is everything alright?” he said gently, his voice laced with concern.  
“Yes, everything is fine.”, she said nervously, pulling up her omnitool. “I wanted to show you something I’ve been working on.”.   
Alenko’s curiosity was piqued as he pulled out his own ‘tool.   
Tali quickly explained the program she had developed, a scanner that increased the range and accuracy at which they could detect geth signals.  
“Tali! This is amazing.”, he said with a kind smile.   
“Oh – Thank you.” She said, sounding relieved. “The Normandy is such an incredible ship. I want to make myself useful.”.   
“Well, Engineer Adams informs me that you’ve been a great help.”, he responded earnestly. “...And this program is brilliant. You really made this on a Nexus?”, he added, gesturing to her omnitool.  
“The nexus is the best model!”, she replied defensively.   
“Oh - I didn’t mean to offend you, Tali”, he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.   
“No, no, please. I’m not offended.” Tali assured him. “Thank you, for being so kind. Truthfully, my 'tool is a little out of date. But the Nexus is still the best model.”.  
He tilted his head as he tried to read her tone. He hadn’t met any Quarians before, and the helmet made it impossible for him to read her facial expressions.   
“Have you shown Shepard your program? I’m sure she would love to see it.”  
“No. I actually hoped you could show her.”, Tali answered, wringing her hands nervously again.  
“It’s your work, Tali. You deserve the credit, and Shepard won’t bite.”, he said with a smile.   
Tali was still unconvinced, so Kaidan suggested that they could present it together.

Shepard had been hunched over the galaxy map for hours while Pressly described each planet in the cluster in excruciating detail. They had already excluded the Athens system, but there were still three systems that Doctor T’Soni could have been working in. Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, trying hard to keep her frustration under control. It was a great relief when her omnitool chimed and a message from Lieutenant Alenko popped up.   
“We’ve still got 10 hours until we hit the relay, Pressly. Take a few hours, we can continue this later.”, Shepard said, trying not to look too excited.   
Pressly acknowledged her order with a quick salute as she turned and left.

* * *

Despite Kaidan’s reassurance, Tali was still visibly nervous as they went up to meet Shepard.  
They entered the mess to find Shepard stretching in the centre of the room. Kaidan quickly averted his eyes, careful not to indulge his growing attraction.   
“Hey guys, I hope you don’t mind talking here. I’ve been standing in CIC for hours – I could really use a break.”, Shepard said with a smile, grabbing an energy bar as they took a seat. “ Now, what can I do for you?”  
Kaidan looked across to Tali, giving her a reassuring smile. Tali was still nervously wringing her hands, as she began to explain her program, though her shoulders had relaxed slightly.   
Shepard listened patiently, despite not really understanding what Tali was talking about. As Tali finished explaining the tech, Shepard locked eyes with Alenko, a question in her eyes.   
He understood and offered a simplified explanation. “It’ll increase the range at which we can detect geth signatures. We can use it on the ground – We could even integrate it to the Normandy systems.”.   
Shepard’s brow shot up.   
“Sounds interesting. Great work Tali”, she said with a warm smile.   
“Of course, Shepard. Thank you for listening.”, Tali replied, seeming much more relaxed now.  
Shepard continued smiling, but her eyes were thoughtful as she carefully considered their options. Tali was not an Alliance officer. It would be a risk to integrate her code into the Normandy’s systems – no matter how much Shepard trusted her.   
Shepard looked at Alenko as she decided, “We’ll need to run it past Adams and Pressly. Can you take care of that Lieutenant?”.  
“Of course, ma’am. I’ll get right on it.” Alenko said, standing to leave.   
“Oh, good. We’ll talk again later”, Shepard said.

* * *

Shepard wandered back up to the CIC to find Pressly still tapping away at his terminal.   
“I trust you enjoyed your break, Pressly?”, Shepard teased.   
“I – uh… I didn’t take it, Commander.”, Pressly admitted as he snapped a quick salute.   
Shepard suppressed a sigh. Though they hadn't served together before, she had known Pressly for a few years. She knew Pressly would never drop the formalities, no matter how much she hated them.   
“Just try not to burn yourself out, Pressly.”, she said gently. “Have you learnt anything?”  
“I still think our best bet is Therum, in the Knossos system. Shall I walk you through my findings now, Commander?"  
"No, No - I trust you, Pressly. Tell Joker to plot a course for Therum, if you think that’s our best bet.”. She ordered. "Has Lieutenant Alenko been up to see you yet?"  
"Yes, ma'am. The program that that Quarian developed looks solid, we should be able to detect geth signatures from orbit.”.   
Shepard crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed Pressly.   
“The ‘Quarian’s’ name is Tali.”, she scolded. “But you approve of the program?”.   
“I do, Commander. I believe Engineer Adams and Lieutenant Alenko are reviewing the code now.”.   
Shepard nodded, “Glad to hear it. Sounds like we're done here then?.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”, Pressly said with a salute.   
“Make sure you get a solid 8 hours of rack time, Pressly. That’s an order.”, Shepard added with a smirk before she turned to leave. 

* * *

Shepard was restless as she sat alone, picking at her breakfast in the mess hall. They had been travelling for nearly two days, but they were finally at the outer edge of the Knossos system. She normally didn’t mind extended travel times, but this mission was different. There was so much to do, so much at stake. She felt her anxiety spike as she tried to push the memories of her nightmares out of her mind. She silently sipped her coffee and watched as the crew members began to file into the mess as the day cycle began.   
She was glad for the company when Joker limped over to her table.   
“No food, Joker?”, she asked him a warm smile as he plopped down in the seat opposite her.  
“Nah, my co-pilot will be here any minute.”, he said with a smirk.   
“I know you don’t even have a co-pilot, but I can still never quite tell if you’re joking.”, Shepard laughed.   
“Yeah. I like to keep ‘em guessing.”, he mumbled.   
Shepard gave him an exaggerated eye-roll, just as Ashley joined them with two trays of food.   
“Hey, Skipper.”, Ashley said with a grin. “Glad to see you finally got out of that fancy cabin of yours.”.  
“You and me both, Ash.”, Shepard replied with a smirk. “Hopefully we can get boots on the ground today.”.  
“I’ll do what I can.”, Joker chimed in. "But - no zombie colonists this time, right?"  
"I'll do what I can.", Shepard echoed with a grin.   
  



	13. Therum

Joker called Shepard over the comms to inform her that they were approaching Therum. She walked briskly toward the cockpit, telling Garrus and Williams to gear up and be ready to go.  
Her eyes flicked over briefly to Alenko in the co-pilot seat before turning her full attention to the pilot.   
“What’ve we got, Joker?”, she asked.  
“We’re picking up some strange readings, Commander. Really strange. Like, off the damn charts.”, he reported.   
“Geth?”, she asked turning slightly toward Alenko.   
“Yes, Commander... I think so.”, he answered looking up at her.   
“Alright. Good job, both of you. Take us in, Joker.”  
“Aye aye, ma’am.”

* * *

Ashley shifted in the navigator seat to look over at Shepard as the Mako dropped down to the volcanic world.  
“Sensors are picking up some strange energy readings. Looks like it’s coming from an underground complex a few klicks from here.”, she reported, uploading the coordinates to the Mako’s main system.  
“Any idea what could be causing the readings, Chief?”, Shepard asked.  
“Uh – no, ma’am. Sorry.”, Ashley answered sheepishly.   
Shepard simply nodded in response as they sped toward their destination. There was a strange energy in this place that made her skin tingle. Shepard found herself wondering if her non-biotic teammates could feel it too.

* * *

The entrance to the facility was overrun with Geth when they arrived.   
“Well, looks like we’re in the right place.”, Shepard said looking between Garrus and Ashley as they grabbed their gear, both looking as anxious as Shepard felt.  
“I wonder what Dr T’Soni was looking for down here. Most Prothean Ruins have nothing more than dead instrumentation.”, Garrus pondered.   
“You can ask when we find her.”, Shepard snapped as she fired the first shots at the Geth. She ordered Garrus and Ashley to take cover and use suppressive fire while Shepard picked off the easy targets.   
“You can count on us, Commander.”, Garrus chimed earnestly.   
Garrus moved to the left flank, him and Ash distracting the Geth with alternating bursts of fire from their assault rifles. It was a tough fight, a seemingly endless supply of Geth blocking their entrance to the ruins. Garrus watched in awe as Shepard rushed in and threw one Geth snipper into his line of fire, while simultaneously hitting another with her shotgun. Garrus had to admit, he was impressed by Shepard’s skill on the battlefield, despite her being a human – and biotic. Every biotic Turian he'd ever served with had been arrogant and irresponsible. He was relieved that this human was not like them.  
Shepard signalled them back over to the Mako as the last Geth fell, tossing each of them a bottle of water.   
“You ok, Skipper?”, Ashley asked taking a seat beside Shepard.   
“Yeah, just need to sit a minute and refuel.”, Shepard said with a weary smile as she retrieved her energy bar.

* * *

They heard a soft feminine voice call out as they descended further into the ruin.   
“Uh… hello? Could somebody help me? Please?”.  
The team explored cautiously, moving in the direction of the voice. They entered a large chamber that looked like some kind of science facility and found a young Asari scientist suspended behind a pale blue force field.   
“Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help!”, the Asari called out.  
“Liara T’Soni, I presume?” Shepard asked, weapon still drawn.  
“Yes. Oh, thank the Goddess. I did not think anyone would come looking for me.”.  
“Are you ok? What happened to you?”, Shepard asked, lowering her weapon slightly.  
Ashley gave Shepard a sideways glance as Doctor T’Soni answered.   
“I was exploring the ruins when the Geth showed up, so I hid in here. Can you believe it? Geth! Beyond the Veil.”.  
“Can we trust her, Commander?”, Ashley said cautiously. Shepard gave her a quick glance, before turning her attention back to the captive Asari.   
“Your mother is working with Saren. Whose side are you on?”, Shepard probed.   
Doctor T’Soni looked genuinely shocked at the question. “Benezia? I – I have not spoken to her in years. I’m not on anybody’s side. I – I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Please. Just get me out of here.”.   
Shepard was satisfied with her response as she studied the Asari’s face for any hint of deception.   
“Ok… ", she started. "How do we get you out?”.   
Doctor T’Soni directed them to a console, and Shepard asked Garrus to override the controls.

* * *

The entire ruin began to tremble as the barrier trapping Doctor T’Soni deactivated, and she fell to the floor. Shepard rushed to her side and offered the doctor a bottle of water and an energy bar.   
“Can you walk? We need to get out of here before more Geth arrive.”, Shepard asked gently.  
“I – I think so. There is an elevator in the center of the tower, it should take us to the surface. But we need to be careful, there was a Krogan with the Geth.”, Doctor T’Soni answered wearily as she stood. She stumbled as the building shook, grateful when Shepard reached out to steady her.   
“We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!”, she said. The panic clear in her eyes.   
Shepard called to the Normandy as they ran toward the elevator, barely making it out as the ruin crumbled around them.

* * *

They were all breathless by the time they reached the airlock, escaping moments before lava began blasting from the former ruin.   
“Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would’ve been swimming in molten sulphur. The Normandy isn’t equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference.”, Joker called over comms.   
“Hey, at least there were no ‘mutant zombie’ colonists this time, right?”, Shepard joked as she began to catch her breath.   
“We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?”, Doctor T’Soni cried.   
“Hey!”, Ashley snapped. “Joker pulled our asses out of there. I think he’s earned the right to a few bad jokes.”.   
“Joking helps ease the tension, it’s a coping mechanism. You’ll get used to it.” Shepard said patiently as her eyes scanned the Asari.   
“I see.”, Doctor T’Soni said thoughtfully. “It must be a human thing. I don’t have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander.”  
“Want me to escort her to the holding cell, Skipper?”, Ashley asked as the decontamination cycle completed.   
“No. Thank you, Williams.”, Shepard answered, turning to Doctor T’Soni. “Doctor T’Soni, I assume you need medical attention. May I escort you to the medbay?”.   
Ashley and Garrus shared a surprised look as they left the airlock together.   
“Williams, tell the ground teams to report to the comm room for debrief in 1 hour.”.


	14. Therum debrief

Anxiety simmered in Kaidan’s stomach as he sat in the comm room, listening to the crew chat while they waited for Shepard. Ashley and Garrus were discussing the new arrival on the ship, Doctor T’Soni. They were concerned about having Benezia's daughter on board. Kaidan understood their concerns but he trusted that Shepard knew what she was doing. His mind wandered as he thought back to one of the first conversations he'd had with Shepard. He'd promised to discuss his opinions on the mission, but he didn't know how to broach the subject without being insubordinate. His thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open, and hee reflexively jumped out of his seat and snapped a salute.

Shepard erupted into laughter as she looked around the comm room.   
“Vakarian!”, she exclaimed, causing everyone to turn to look at Garrus. “Since when do you salute?”, she asked still laughing.   
“Chief Williams taught me.”, Garrus answered, humour clear in his duel toned voice. Ashley just grinned, an amused twinkle in her eye.   
“Well, at ease.”, Shepard said still chuckling.   
She gestured towards a free chair, offering it to doctor T’Soni before taking her own and introducing her to the crew.   
“Please, call me Liara.”, the Asari said with a shy smile. “I am grateful to you all. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those Geth would have killed me. Or dragged me off to Saren.”.   
Kaidan felt a pang of anger as he watched Liara speak. Although she had addressed everyone, her eyes brightened every time they were focused on Shepard. Dr T'Soni was either infatuated with Shepard or trying to manipulate her.   
“What do you know about Saren?”, Garrus called.   
“Only what Shepard has told me. I did not even know Benezia was working with him until an hour ago!”, Liara argued shifting in her seat. “I – I still cannot believe all this. Why would the Geth come after me? What could the possibly want from me?”.  
“Saren’s looking for something called ‘the Conduit’. You’re a Prothean expert, he probably wants you to help him find it.”, Shepard explained. Kaidan noticed a few of the crew exchange nervous glances, clearly worried about how much freedom was being given to the daughter of their enemy.   
“I see...” Liara said, shifting nervously as she considered that statement.   
“Tell us about the Conduit.”, Garrus demanded. Shepard gave Garrus a sharp look, a silent order to calm down.  
“I do not now much about the Conduit. Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them.”.  
Kaidan’s jaw dropped, and he blurted without thinking “How old are you, exactly?”. He dropped his eyes to the floor as soon as the words left his mouth, desperate to avoid Shepard’s wrath.   
“I hate to admit it, but I am only a hundred and six.”  
“Damn! I hope I look that good when I’m your age.”, Ashley joked.   
Liara began patiently explained the differences between human and Asari aging until Shepard interrupted with a sigh.   
“You can talk about that later.”, she snapped. “Liara, I may know why the Protheans disappeared.”  
“With all due respect, Commander, I have heard every theory out there.” Liara said with a patronising smile.  
Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, her patience clearly wearing thin. None of the crew dared to speak up as Shepard recounted the vision she had received from the beacon on Eden Prime.   
Liara was stunned at Shepard’s revelation and offered to join their consciousnesses to help Shepard make sense of the visions.   
“Is that safe? Uh – ma’am?”, Kaidan blurted out. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, bracing himself for one of Shepard’s irritated looks. His stomach flipped when she looked at him and he saw gratitude in her eyes instead.   
“It’s worth the risk.”, she answered. “Lieutenant, can you escort Liara back to the medbay? I’ll meet you down there after I brief the council.”, Shepard asked before dismissing the rest of the team.

* * *

Kaidan didn’t know what to say as he led Liara back to the medbay, so they sat in awkward silence for what seemed like an eternity. Liara was the one to break the silence.   
“I understand why you distrust me. But I assure you, I am nothing like Benezia.”.   
Kaidan’s eyes scanned her, assessing her carefully before he responded.   
“It’s not my place to trust or distrust you.”, he said cautiously. “I trust the Commander’s judgement.”.   
“Of course.” Liara said simply. The awkward silence stretched out for another minute until Liara made another attempt at small talk.   
“Commander Shepard seems like an incredible woman.”, she stated.   
“Uh, yeah. She is very… capable.”. Kaiden said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck and shifted on the spot.   
“Oh – I see...”, Liara said. Kaidan was embarrassed by the knowing look in her eyes and annoyed with himself about his own transparency.   
The medbay doors slid open before he had the chance to respond, and Shepard walked in with a smile on her face.   
“Good news, Liara.”, she said. “The council has agreed to allow you to stay on board.”  
Liara smiled brightly and thanked Shepard as Kaidan glanced between them, assessing their interaction. Shepard smirked at Kaidan’s expression and suggested they get to work. Kaidan walked over to Shepard and asked if they could have a quiet word.   
“This better be important - What do you need, Lieutenant?”, she whispered impatiently.   
“Uh – sorry, ma’am. I’m just not really sure what I’m doing here.”, he admitted. There was so much more he wanted to say, but he knew now wasn't the time.   
Shepard’s impatience melted away, and she placed a reassuring hand on his bicep.   
“If things go wrong, doctor Chakwas will need to take care of Liara, and I feel a lot better knowing my field medic is looking out for me.”, she explained with a mischievous glint in her eyes.   
“Always, ma’am.”, he answered with a shy smile.

* * *

The joining of consciousness only took a few minutes, but Liara was totally exhausted by the experience. She swayed, becoming dizzy as she broke the connection.   
“That was incredible. All this – all those images... So vivid... I never imagined…”, she stuttered. “You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you have been through, what you have seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind.”.   
Shepard had become very pale and looked around to find Alenko before realising he had been beside her the whole time. He gave her a gentle smile as their eyes met, but she could still see the guilt in his eyes.   
"Did you see anything useful, Liara?”, she asked desperately.   
Liara groaned and reached up to rub her forehead. “The beacon must have been badly damaged. I’m sorry, Commander… I – I think I need some time to process this.”.   
“I’ll let you rest.”, Shepard said. She stumbled slightly as she stood to leave, somewhat lightheaded after the merging.   
“Commander, are you ok?” Kaidan asked, holding out a hand to steady her.   
“I’m fine, just a little lightheaded. Uh – mind walking me home, Lieutenant?”, she said with a shaky smile.   
“My pleasure, Commander.”, he replied, though he still looked concerned.   
They walked the few meters to her cabin in silence, speaking only when they reached her door.  
“Is there anything else you need, Commander?”, he asked, in a strictly professional tone.   
“No. Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed.”, she said in an equally formal tone, before whispering “We’ll talk later?”.   
“You know where to find me.” he answered with a smile, snapping a salute as she left.

* * *

Kaidan had been down in the cargo bay working on his equipment for half an hour already. He was desperately trying to keep his mind off Shepard, but he kept finding himself grinning as he remembered the glimmer in her eyes and her mischievous smile. He knew that there was no way she was actually interested in him, Shepard liked to flirt, it didn't mean anything. But he enjoyed it, regardless of what it meant. He realised with a deep sigh that his attempt at distracting himself was pointless and pulled up his ‘tool. He sat down and typed out a message quickly, before deleting it and starting again.   
Ashley noticed his anxious expression as he sat raking his hand through his hair and nervously tapping at his omnitool.   
“Hey, LT. How’s Skipper doing?” she asked, eying him suspiciously.  
“Uh – fine. I think. Why do you ask?”, he replied, looking up at her with confusion in his eyes.  
“Just wondering.”, Ashley shrugged with a cheeky grin. “That Asari mumbo-jumbo really messed her up last time… I was considering taking her a drink, but I don’t know how to make that fancy biotic stuff.”.   
Kaidan’s eyes widened and a gentle smile lit up his face as he took the hint. He tapped out a quick message on his ‘tool, before he looked back to Ashley and whispered his thanks. 

* * *

Shepard grinned to herself in the privacy of her cabin as she read the message from Alenko.

> ‘- Commander.   
> I just wanted to check how you’re feeling.   
> I was just about to head to the mess, please let me know if you would like me to bring you anything.  
> \- Lt. K. Alenko.’.

She re-read the message three times before typing out her reply. 

> '- Lt. Alenko.   
> Thank you for the offer. A biotichoc sounds wonderful.  
> Bring two - I have some things I'd like to discuss before we reach Arcturus station.   
> \- Shepard

* * *

Kaidan took a deep steadying breath as he tapped the control to Shepard’s door. He knew it wasn’t uncommon for officers to be called into the Captain’s cabin, but it was his first time being called in. He felt like a kid being called to the principal’s office. He stood awkwardly at the entrance holding the tray he’d brought from the mess. He wasn't certain about the protocol, and he already had a habit of making a fool of himself around Shepard.   
Shepard was sitting at a small conference table, waving him over with a weary smile. “Forgive me for not standing to greet you. To be perfectly honest, I’m still not feeling a hundred percent.”  
He resisted the urge to look at her as he placed the tray down and snapped a salute. “Should I contact doctor Chakwas, ma’am?”  
“No, it’s fine. At ease, Lieutenant.”. He heard her sigh and his eyes met hers. She gestured to the seat opposite her, cocking her brow with a bemused smirk.   
He relaxed slightly and took the seat opposite hers. She let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes as she sipped her drink slowly. She still looked pale, but otherwise unharmed. She was gorgeous.   
"Thank you, Alenko.", she said, opening her eyes and giving him a warm smile. "I really needed this."  
“Any time, Shepard - uh, Commander.", he replied awkwardly. "So, we’re heading for Arcturus, ma’am?”  
“Shepard is fine.", she said with a smirk. "But, yes - Arcturus. We need to restock and pick up a new Mako since we lost ours on Therum. I’m giving the crew fifteen galactic hours of liberty. Then we’re heading to Noveria.”  
"Is that what you wanted to discuss, Shepard?"  
"No", she stated simply. Her eyes scanned him intently before she continued. “I wanted to give you a quick update and get your opinion on the mission - But we can talk another time if you’re not comfortable…”. He felt himself blushing as her eyes bored into his.   
“No, no - I’m sorry Commander. It’s just - I’ve just never been called to the captain’s cabin before.”, he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.   
“I’m not really feeling up to braving the mess. Besides, this the best place to talk off the record. I can disable the audio feeds.”, she explained. “So, what’s your read on the mission?”  
Kaiden sipped his drink slowly before answering thoughtfully, “Dr T’Soni? She seems nice enough. I know some of the crew are, uh – concerned, about her connection to Benezia.”.  
"And you?"  
"I trust your judgement, Shepard. But - uh, I have to admit, I'm a little worried too.", he admitted hesitantly.   
"I appreciate the honesty, Lieutenant.", she said with a sly smile.   
He breathed a sigh of relief and returned the smile. He'd been worried that Shepard would be angry at his doubts, but it was obvious now that she'd been testing him.  
"Well don't worry too much, Alenko, I know what I'm doing. Keeping her on board means that Saren and Benezia can't get to her, and we can keep an eye on her. But, she's not a prisoner, so we have to be nice - keep her on our side. For what it's worth, though, she's very young for an Asari and I think she's being straight with us. Or, at least, I don't think she lies very often.", Shepard explained.   
Kaidan sipped his drink as pondered that for a moment. He was honestly a little surprised that she was sharing this information with him. Sure, he was head of marines but he wasn't special forces.  
"So - uh, you want me to keep the crew in line?", he guessed.   
"Bingo.", Shepard grinned. “We have to keep an eye on her. Invite her to join us at meals, be friendly.”  
“No problem, Commander. I’ll look after her.”, he offered with a smile.   
Shepard raised her brow at his statement. “Sorry to be so blunt – but do you have any intentions there, Lieutenant?”.   
“None, Commander,” Kaidan assured her, rubbing the back of his neck. “I prefer adventurous women.”, he added with a shy smile.  
“Glad to hear it.”, Shepard said, returning his smile. His heart fluttered at the brief flash of heat in her eyes. She cleared her throat as she snapped back into business mode. “Liara may not be Alliance, Lieutenant – but she’s still part of our crew now. The regs are there for a reason.”.  
“I read you, Commander.”, Kaidan replied.   
  



	15. Arcturus Station

Shepard was standing in the cockpit, observing the docking process when a call came through on her ‘tool. The call was coming from an address she didn't recognise, and she wasn't expecting a call. Confusion lined her face as she moved into the corridor, and took the call.   
"Shepard here.", she answered.   
A man with a slight French accent answered through her earpiece. “Uh, Commander Shepard? Sorry to bother you. This is Lieutenant Girard from the Arcturus Trauma Response unit. There’s a woman here, uh… She was rescued from Batarian slavers a few weeks ago. She’s from Mindoir… I guess she was taken in the raid on your town”  
Shepards heart pounded as she slumped down to sit on the floor. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing, trying to keep her hands steady as she reached up to remove her amp. She couldn’t afford for her anxiety to get the best of her right now.  
“She’s been a slave for the past 13 years? Is she alright? Why are you telling me this?” she asked.   
“No, Commander. She’s not alright. She got free somehow. Grabbed a gun from one of my guys, she’s been holed up on level 2 for nearly two days. She, uh – She says she wants to die.”.   
Shepard continued focusing on her breathing, keeping her eyes closed even as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Most of the crew had already disembarked and only senior officers remained on board, so she didn't need to look to know who it was.  
“I hoped you’d talk to her. It’s a long shot, but you went through the same thing. The raid. I figured maybe you could talk her out of her tree.”.  
“Ok, I’ll see what I can do. Sit tight Lieutenant.”, Shepard said before she disconnected the call.   
Pressly spoke up as soon as the call disconnected. “Can I help, Commander?”, he asked softly.   
“Thanks, Pressly.” She said, finally looking up at him and giving him a weary smile. “I need to take care of something. I hate to ask, but…”  
“I’ll watch the ship, ma’am.”, he interrupted. She felt a rush of affection for her XO as he offered a hand to help her up.

* * *

Kaidan and Ash had volunteered to show Tali and Garrus around Arcturus during their liberty time, and they were just outside the ship when Shepard caught up with them. She was still in uniform and looked unusually flustered.   
“I’m glad I found you.” She huffed as she joined them. They all turned to look at her, surprised by her sudden arrival.  
“Commander, do you need something?”, Alenko asked. It was obvious that something was wrong, he exchanged a quick glance with Ashley and saw his concern reflected back at him. He quickly scanned Shepard for clues and couldn’t spot any physical injuries, but he could see that her amp had been removed - something uncommon for most human biotics.   
“I – uh, sorry to ask... I know you’re off duty, but I could use some backup.”, Shepard admitted reaching up and rubbing the back of her neck, just below her empty amp port.  
Garrus volunteered without hesitation.   
“I appreciate that Garrus, but I need a human for this one.”.   
“Alenko would be happy to help, Commander.” Ashley said, giving Kaidan a glace of encouragement and a slight smirk.   
Shepard narrowed her eyes at Ashley evaluating the intent in her statement until Kaidan spoke up.   
"Of course, ma'am. Whatever you need."  
Shepard turned her gaze to him, and he could see in her eyes that she was trying to keep her emotions tightly guarded.   
She nodded curtly and gestured for him to follow.

She walked quickly past the ship, clearly unconcerned about equipping weapons or armour.   
A burly old admiral was waiting for them by the elevator outside of the docking bay. Kaidan snapped to attention immediately, with Shepard following his lead. He could feel her biotic energy rippling with anger, though she managed to keep herself from visibly flaring. Even un-amped she was powerful, and Kaidan had to focus to prevent his own biotics from responding to hers.  
“At ease.”, the admiral called.   
“Admiral Mikhailovich. We weren’t told to expect you, sir. I would have prepared a formal greeting.”, Shepard said. Her words were perfectly respectful, though her tone hinted at disdain.   
“Spare me the false pleasantries, Shepard.” He spat back  
“Fine, Admiral. I have urgent business on the station. What do you want?”, Shepard asked impatiently.   
“Let’s get one thing clear, Shepard. You might be a spectre to the aliens, but to me, you’re just another junior officer. Be respectful.”, the admiral snapped.   
As much as Kaidan was beginning to hate this guy, he was worried about Shepard was going to react. She had been agitated even before meeting the Admiral, and Spectre or not, an insubordination charge would probably complicate things.  
“What do you want, Admiral?”, Shepard snapped back.   
“I’m here to make an inspection, Commander. Normandy is an Alliance warship, I intend to she’s up to snuff. You and the Normandy were slated for my unit after shakedown. Then the Council got their paws… Claws… Tentacles. Whatever. They got them on our ship. And you.”.   
“Normandy is an Alliance warship, but she’s on loan to the Citadel. That means she’s not in your chain of command.”. Shepard crossed her arms and raised her brow at the admiral, testing him.   
Kaidan took a step back as Rear Admiral Mikhailovich erupted with anger.   
“Did you just contradict me, Shepard?”, he bellowed.   
Shepard didn’t flinch as she stepped up and fixed him with one of her most intense glares. “Of course not, Sir. I will inform my XO that you are welcome to look around, but this can’t be considered a formal inspection.”  
“I suggest you watch your mouth, Shepard. It’s going to get you in trouble.”, Mikhailovich said.   
“Yeah, yeah. Send a complaint up the chain of command.”, she said dismissively. “Now if that’s all, I’m needed elsewhere. Goodbye Admiral.”. 

* * *

Kaidan trailed behind her as she stormed off toward the elevator, more confused than ever about what was happening. It had been obvious that Shepard had clearly been annoyed by the Admiral's presence, but Kaidan suspected there was more to the story.   
“Commander…”, he began. Falling silent as she held up a hand to stop him, pinching the bridge of her nose and taking a few deep breaths. She stood in front of him and tapped the elevator controls for level 2, section 17.   
“We can talk about that later. I just, need to focus – give me a minute.”, she said wearily.   
Kaidan silently raised his omnitool and quickly scanned Shepard, trying to be discrete.   
“Find anything interesting?”, she asked coolly, startling him.   
“I – uh. Sorry, ma’am. Just trying to figure out what’s going on.”, he stuttered, blushing deeply.   
“No, Kaidan. I’m sorry.”, Shepard sighed deeply and half turned toward him. “This is personal… There’s a girl here from Mindoir. She managed to get a weapon…”.  
He could see the pain and fear in her eyes as they met his, it was heartbreaking. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, to give her whatever comfort he could offer. But he knew that offering such comfort to his commanding officer would be inappropriate, even if they were off duty.   
He swallowed hard and whispered, “I’m here for you, Shepard. Whatever you need.”.   
“I know, Kaidan. Thanks.” Shepard said with a sad smile as the elevator reached their destination.   
  
A young security officer met them outside the elevator.   
“Lieutenant Girard?”, she asked.   
“Yes, Commander.”, he confirmed. “I am so glad to see you. She is over there, behind those shipping containers.”. he said, pointing toward a makeshift barricade.  
Shepard took a deep breath and asked what their plan was.   
“We’ve got a sedative to calm her down, but we can’t get close to her. Every step we take gets her more wound up. I’ve got a sniper positioned, but I don’t want to hurt her. She’s only a danger to herself.”, Girard explained.   
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Shepard mumbled as she turned from Lieutenant Girard and walked away.   
They stopped a few meters from where the young woman was.   
“I’ll take the lead. You wait here, Alenko.” Shepard ordered as soon as they had a visual on the young woman. She took a few more steps toward the girl before she called out a greeting.   
Kaidan's anxiety flared as the distressed armed woman turned and aimed her gun directly at an un-armoured and un-amped Shepard. All he could do was sit silently and try to assess the situation, preparing himself in case things went bad. This young girl looked terrible. Her eyes were wild, full of confusion, anger and fear. Her hospital gown hung loose of her emaciated frame, her head had been shaved and her skin was damaged beyond her years. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of ordeals this poor girl had been subjected to.   
  
“S—Stop! What do you—What are you?”, the girl rambled.  
“My name is Shepard. I came to talk to you. What’s your name?”, Shepard answered softly, standing still and raising her hands as if to surrender.  
“Animals don’t get names. The masters put their symbols on her. Hot metal all over her back. She screams when they do it.”, the girl rambled, keeping her weapon aimed.  
“You’re not an animal.”, Shepard assured her. “Do you remember your parents? What did they call you?”  
“She remembers a lot of things.”, the girl said sadly, lowering her weapon slightly. “Talitha. They call her that. Sh—She doesn’t remember the rest.”.   
“Nice to meet you Talitha,” Shepard said with a small smile and took a slight step towards her. “I’m from Mindoir too, you know. My parents died in the raid.”.   
Talitha shook wildly as Shepard stepped toward her.   
“No! She’s no good.”, Talitha shouted. “Lying. You get hit for lying. Get the buzz or the burning. Can’t be there.”.   
Kaidan’s heart was pounding as Talitha lowered her weapon slightly.   
“Why are you alive?”, Talitha screamed. “Why are you—Why aren’t you like her? Broken. Only fit to dig and carry."  
“The Batarians never found me, Talitha. I got buried under rubble. If they saw me, they left me for dead.”, Shepard whispered sadly. “But.. I was broken for a while, Talitha. I lost my whole family, my friends, my home. But these people helped me - they can help you too.”.   
Talitha’s eyes widened as she lowered her weapon and took a small step forward. Talitha was within arm’s reach of Shepard now, and Kaidan felt himself relax with the knowledge that Shepard would easily be able to subdue the former slave if she became violent.  
“You lose your mommy and daddy. But you don’t dig. You don’t carry. You stand up… My mommy and daddy… They’re burning Shepard! The masters take her. She digs. She carries… She - She wishes she could stand up.”, Talitha cried.   
“You can stand up Talitha.”, Shepard said calmly, before reaching into her pocket to offer her the sedatives. “These will make you sleep. When you fall asleep, they’ll take you to a place where you can get better.”.   
Talitha took the drugs and swallowed them dry. Shepard reached out and hugged Talitha as she sobbed, “Will she have bad dreams, Shepard?”.  
“It’s ok, Talitha. You’ll dream of a warm place. And when you wake up, you’ll be in it.” Shepard whispered back, returning the hug as Talitha began to drift off.   
Kaidan signalled Lieutenant Girard and ran over as soon as Talitha dropped the gun. Shepard kept her eyes down as they laid Talitha on a stretcher.   
  
“Thanks, Commander. This means a lot. I didn’t want to hurt her.”, Lieutenant Girard said. “It’s just - when I saw her curled into a ball, shivering… She was only six when they took her. Why the hell are we out here if we can’t even keep one little girl safe?”, he said, desperation and despair clear in his voice.   
Shepard finally looked up at that, she was fighting the tears building in her eyes. “Bad things happen to good people, Lieutenant. That doesn’t mean we should give up.”.   
Kaidan walked up behind Shepard, placing a comforting hand on Shepard’s shoulder as they watched Girard and his team disappear into the elevators with Talitha.   
Shepard turned and looked up into Kaidan's golden eyes for a nanosecond before she found herself melting into his arms.   
His breath hitched, incredulous that he was holding the great Commander Shepard as she sobbed into his chest. _"But, this is not 'Commander Shepard'. T_ _his is Shepard, the person._ " he thought to himself.   
He inhaled deeply, savouring the scent of her as he reached up and stroked her hair gently.   
Slowly, Shepard's sobs began to subside and she pulled back, avoiding his eyes as she apologised.   
“I’m sorry, Lieutenant.”, she said. She cleared her throat and she wiped the last tears from her eyes, her tone hardened as she continued. “That was completely unprofessional.”. He watched as her bright green eyes became guarded once more.   
“Shepard, I…”, he started, his voice thick with emotion. “I told you. I’m here - whatever you need. I meant it.”.   
She finally looked back up at him, seeing tears welling in his eyes too.   
She gave him a sad smile and nodded at him before they turned and walked in silence back to the comfort of the ship.


End file.
